


In the Darkness, One Finds Light

by Miyo_nani



Series: In the Darkness, One Finds Light [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure, Blood of Olympus, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, Romance, Will Solace - Freeform, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 08:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3844189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyo_nani/pseuds/Miyo_nani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apollo's dagger is stolen, and without it, he cannot raise or set the sun. Will Solace, head counselor of cabin seven, must travel to the underworld to recover it and he is taking along with him the best underworld guide he knows. Nico Di Angelo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

**I just finished BOO! I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians when I was in 6th grade, and a month ago I came back to America and found out he released a spin off! I was so surprised when Nico admitted he was gay, but happy because I love seeing LGBTQA+ represented in things like this, especially something that was so close to my childhood. I was happy because, I am a gay girl, and it made me feel more accepted. Enjoy guys! These chapters will release daily or semi-daily if I get backed up. I am a college student after all.**

Close this book right now reader. Because i'm not going to live up to your expectations. Let's be real. I inherited cabin seven out of sheer seniority. My oldest brother, Aaron, left Camp Half-Blood, and marched his demigod ass straight to Camp Jupiter, and enrolled in 'University of Olympus' as did many other of our older campers. All leaving to pursue their dream of having a sense of normalcy that they might find in a college student life.

"Take care of things around here, Will." He had said."I'm leaving her to you." He patted the large cabin like she was an old friend, and he was forced to leave her behind. The funny thing was, the cabin wasn't a friend, and nobody was forcing him to leave. If you are sensing a bit of hostility in my voice regarding my brother leaving than you have keen senses, friend. I huffed at my brothers 'wise' words, and crossed my arms. I didn't want him to leave, but I certainly didn't want his hand me down counselor position. Looking out over the water towards Poseidon's cabin, thinking briefly of how easy Percy had it not having to look after 12+ siblings, or make sure everybody was in their bunks by lights out, and all the kids were up for breakfast. It was a hard job, being the oldest.

 

"Sarah, pick up those playing cards. Noah, make your bed, Jean, stop pounding on the bathroom door!" I yelled to all my siblings. Trying to navigate my way through morning routine. I had been head councilor for two weeks now, and mornings still haven't gotten any easier. Jean turned to me in frustration, her towel slung over her shoulder, and her long blonde hair held up in a loose bun with her shower headband.

"Quinn won't get out of the shower! She has already used up all her time!" Jean argued.

"Quinn get out of the shower!" I yelled, hitting the door with my first.

"Jean is lying! I've only been in here for five minutes!" Quinn's voice came through the oak door. I groaned, and ran my hands through my hair in frustration.

"If you two can't work out your shower problems, I'm taking it away from both of you!" Jean gasped in front of me. "For a week!" I emphasized. Jean grumbled, and went to her bunk to retrieve clean clothes.

"Five minutes everybody!" I shouted, and took the time to walk to my bed trunk, and fish out a clean pair of khaki shorts, and an orange t-shirt that sported my camp logo. One of the few privileges that came with being cabin counselor, was that you got a sweet ass bed. Most of the beds in our cabin were small, twin sized beds that stacked upon one another to save space. However, the head consoler got the only queen sized bed in the cabin, along with their own closet, and bed trunk. No sharing required.

Once I was fresh clothes, I walked toward the front door. My thirteen younger siblings were lined up in a hardly legible line in front of the door, and the entry way was a mess with loud voices, complaints of hunger, and laughter at terrible jokes.

"Single file line, guys. Let's do this." I said taking my place at the beginning of the line, and leading my siblings out the door, across the green, and toward the pavilion for breakfast. While I was catching my breath, and realigning my sanity from the morning antics I watched Nico Di Angelo throw his cabin door open, and stumble out onto the porch. His younger sister wasn't with him, and he took his time stretching from his clearly uninterrupted sleep before hoping off the porch, and began walking across the green. I scowled, _Another fine example of a camp member without responsibility._ I amused myself for the rest of the walk imagining a camper like Percy, or Nico handling an entire cabin full of kids, all hungry, all hormonal, and never attentive.

When we arrived at the Pavilion I sat my siblings down at the table, pulled myself out of consoler mode, and tucked into my meal. My siblings voices filled my ears, and a few of the younger ones insisted that I cut up their food for them. I obliged, and glanced across the pavilion and noticed Nico had arrived, and took his seat at the Hades table. He had no brothers or sisters, besides Hazel, and usually sat alone. Most days I envied him for his constant peace and quiet, but today I watched him as he grabbed a plate from the front, and made his way to his chair. For a second, he glanced up, and looked around him. Watching all the kids interact with their siblings, and friends and he looked sad. Like it was something he will never have, and can never obtain. Eventually his eyes glanced away from my line of site, and he took his seat.

Soon the pavilion filled up with the usual crowd of cheery half-blood kids, and their cabins. Each grabbing a solid gold plate from the front, and taking their respective seats, but not before stopping and giving a portion of their meal to their parents. The fire engulfed whatever sacrifice it was given. Be it half of a kids meal, or a spoonful of oatmeal, and an apple slice.

"Will." My younger brother, but only by a month or two, elbowed my side gently. I glanced at him in question. "Will, look at the sun." He said in a low voice, almost like he didn't want to alert any of the other campers. I followed his line of sight, and glanced into the clear blue sky. Few clouds polluted the skies. The sun shone bright, and bold at the top of the sky. It's blue rays stretched the vast expanse of camp, and it's brightness would be offensive to anybody other than a child of apollo.

"What about it?" I asked, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into my mouth, and chewing thoughtfully. My brother glanced at me as though I had grown at second head.

"Will! It's eight in the morning." He said as if it was obvious. It struck me as weird that the sun was perched so high in the sky when dawn was only two hours ago.

"You're right.... What in Hades..." I muttered. Before I could ponder the situation any further Chiron took his position at the front of the pavilion and began the morning announcements. As one of the head councilors I wanted to stand, and ask if he had noticed the odd raising and setting patterns of the sun. But as I thought it over, I realized this is Chiron we are talking about. He was probably the first to notice before even the children of Apollo.

After breakfast I was informally released from my head councilor duties. The more warrior prone kids went on to their swords, and spear classes, and I made my way to the infirmary. I had inherited the title of 'Head Physician' after Aaron had left. Which meant that I usually ran the morning infirmary shift alone now. It was about a ten minute walk from the open aired tent like building from the pavilion, but it was the first time that morning that I wasn't followed or bugged by a bunch of kids that shared my hair, and eye color.

I walked up the wooden steps, and into the infirmary. It was still early, and it would be about an hour before kids began stumbling in from spear accidents, and falls from the lava wall. I whistled a tone as I pulled my white doctors coat off from the hook by my desk, and pulled it over my shoulders. I wrapped my stethoscope around my neck. It was a gift from my father, and had a lot of useful applications. However, since I wasn't a big 'quest camper' it mostly served as a really powerful way to take kids heart rates. I picked up the medical reports that Kayla, my assistant, had left on my desk last night when she had agreed to start working the night shift. I was about halfway through leafing through the report when somebody cleared their throat, and I looked up in shock.

Nico Di Angelo stood in the middle of the infirmary. One arm wrapped around the other, and partially hidden in the shadows.

"Woah." I said, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment from not realizing I wasn't alone. "I didn't see you there."

Nico nodded.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, motioning for the boy to sit down. I pulled up a swivel chair, and sat in front of him. Pulling out a blank medical form, and clasping it onto my clipboard.

"Chiron sent me." Nico said, awkwardly sitting on the bed behind him. "He said all campers need a basic check up before they can partake in camp activities." I nodded. I can't believe I forgot about that also. Had I remembered, I would have pulled Nico aside myself and reminded him to come into the infirmary soon. I discarded the medical report that was clipped onto my board, and pulled out a standard medical history report. One that each camper had.

"So we are just going to do some regular check up things, and I'll ask you some questions regarding your medical history. Some of them can be pretty invasive. I'd ask if you are okay with that, but you don't have much of a choice unless you want to sit on the bench during 'Capture the Flag'." Nico scowled slightly at me, as if he wanted to scare me from further antagonizing him. It didn't work.

I pulled my stethoscope off from around my neck, and wheeled my chair around gracefully around Nico's bed, so I was facing his back.

"Take the shirt off." I said, putting the correct ends of my stethoscope into their respective ears.

"What? No!" Nico protested. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you think you have under their Di Angelo? Tentacles? Even if you did, I've seen worse. Now come on. Off with it." Nico grumbled before grasping the hem of his shirt, and pulling it over his head. The neck hole briefly caught on his hair, and pulled it straight upwards. Leaving him with an adorable bed head look. I almost chuckled, but I'm a professional. Professionals don't chuckle at goth boy bed head.

I pressed the scope to the small of Nico's back, and requested he take a deep breath in, and out. After a few breaths I scribbled down _70 BPM_ onto his heart rate box.

After a few more standards tests of checking blood pressure, temperature, BMI rating, flexibility, and a blood test I asked him when his last immunizations are. Nico grimaced for a second, and began counting on both his hands.

"About 65 years ago." Nico said with an edge of finality in my voice. I laughed dryly, and without humor.

"Funny." I mumbled pulling out a few pre packaged syringes, and a couple medical bottles out of the glass cabinet behind me. I expected Nico to laugh at his own stupid joke, but he simply shrugged. I quickly updated his shots, and turned the page on his medical form.

"Okay! Fun part. Questionnaire time." I said, pulling a pen out of my coat pocket. "Family history. How many siblings do you have." I paused. "That you know of." Nico frowned, and I saw a twinge of pain in his eyes. I sympathized. He must have lost somebody, but who hasn't in this age of war and death? It must have been harder for Nico though. He didn't have many people to begin with.

"I had a full blooded sister." I blinked. Those are rare with demigods. "But she died." he finished quickly. "And than there is Hazel." I nodded. I already had her medical records that were transferred from Camp Jupiter, so further questioning from Nico concerning her health was not necessary.

"Any major diseases prominent on your mother's side of the family?" I asked.

"No." Nico answered.

"Any prominent diseases you have?"

"No."

"Vision problems? Corrective lenses?"

"No, and no."

"Hearing problems?"

"No."

"Speech impediments?"

"None."

"Any problems concerning food?"

"Like allergies?" Nico asked. I laughed.

"Demigods don't have allergies. I mean eating disorders." I answered, keeping my eyes on the form.

"Yes." Nico answered, his voice hard as metal. I swallowed loudly, and marked the 'yes' box on the form.

"Excessive weight gain or loss?"

"Not recently."

"Have you ever engaged in vaginal intercourse?" I asked. I hated that question. Nico's face turned into one of disgust.

"No." He said, sounding repulsed.

"Have you ever contracted any form of STD?"

"No."

"Have you ever had thoughts of self harm or suicide?" I asked. I swallowed hard at Nico reaction. His eye brows knitted together in suspicion. Almost as if he was seeming to gauge my motives. His eyes steeled, and his hands fidgeted with his aviator jacket.

"No." He said finally. 

Now, I'll admit. I'm a professional. Mostly. But I'm more than that, and I'll be the first to admit that besides my hatred for my position as head consoler, and my suspicion of the sun's raising, and setting activities, I haven't been completely open with you about who I am as a person.

My name is William Solace. I was born in California, which is a popular birth spot for children of Apollo. My mother died in childbirth, and my father dropped me off at camp Half-Blood as an infant. I am stubborn, I hate violence, and I'll admit sometimes I can be a bit of a smart aleck. I have light blonde hair, blue eyes, I stand at 6" tall, I am fifth teen years old, and I am really, really gay.

Now to say that Nico Di Angelo wasn't my type would be a blatant lie. To say that I didn't abuse my position as head of the cabin 7 line to stare at Nico's ass on his way to breakfast would be a lie, and to say that I didn't wonder if his hair was as soft as it looked would also be a lie. And I'm not a liar. But if the average person would say that I didn't care for my fellow campers, than they would be the biggest liar in the room. No questions asked. No contest.

So yes. I, William Adam Solace, am a doctor. A demigod doctor. I am a professional. What I did next was not, and I repeat, **_NOT_** _,_ professional. And I must greatly insist that you **_never_** do this to anybody. Ever. It is incredibly invasive, and rude, and I honestly don't know what came over me when I surged forward, and grabbed the pale skinned boys aviator jacket sleeve, and pulled it up. Revealing his pale wrist. He had pale, but healed scares along the underside of his arm. I heard Nico gasp, and yank his arm away in shock, falling backward off the bed. I knew that in less than three seconds he would start scrambling for a shadow to jump into.

Apollo kids had a very useful talent of glowing when they were emotional, and I glowed bright, as the sun itself. However, I couldn't place the name of the emotion that fueled the light that emanated from me. Was it anger? Or maybe it was sadness.

"Do NOT run, Nico Di Angelo!" I yelled. For a moment, Nico looked scared. Like a deer caught in headlights or a child being scolded, but his emotion quickly caught up with his expression, and his face twisted into a look of anger, and resentment.

"What the fuck, Solace? What gives you the right?" He said standing up to his full height which was an unimpressive height of 5"6. I felt the shadows in the room fight my bright light, desperate to creep toward him, and obey his will.

"You lied to your doctor. That give me the right!" I said inching forward. I reached out to him, and surprisingly he didn't pull away at once. "I can help you Nico. We have resources. Counseling. Therapy. We can help you." Nico blinked, and ripped himself out of my grasp.

"Take your therapy, and shove it right up your ass, Solace." Nico growled, and stalked out of the infirmary. I groaned, and collapsed onto the bed.

 

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and before I knew it I was corralling my siblings into their bed. Each laughing, and throwing things across the room. My sister, Jean, threw her night cream to my sister, Emily, and my brother loaned our younger sister a night shirt.

"Bed, guys." I said shutting the blinds. For nine at night it was still pretty bright.

"It's still daylight." Jean complained. Children of Apollo usually slept with the sun, so I could sympathize with her for still being wide awake.

"Daylight savings time isn't an excuse for staying up." I said. I heard mutters of protest, and my little brother, Jake, mumble,

"Wasn't daylight savings _last_ month?" A few siblings laughed. 

"Quiet." I snapped while throwing my covers off my bed, and crawled in. God, what a long day. It didn't take long before I wrapped myself into my blankets, and fell into a deep, much needed sleep. 

 

I sat on the beach of Camp Half-Blood. Most of my dreams took place on some type of beach. My mother lived on the beach, and it made me feel closer to her. 

"Bright out today, huh?" I glanced to my right. Apollo sat next to me, fiddling with a stick, and drawing pictures in the fine, white sand. Apollo was the spitting image of most of his kids. He didn't look much older than I was, and had shaggy, light, almost white, blonde hair. His eyes were a dark blue, and his skin was perfectly tan, lacking any type of tan line, and stretched evenly over a lean surfer body. 

"It is." I agreed. We sat side by side for a while watching the ocean pull in and out of the sandy bank. Eventually, Apollo sighed. 

"I need your help, Will." Apollo admitted, like he was admitting to stealing the last cookie. I glanced at my father in shock. He didn't meet my eyes. Instead, he gazed out to the blue sea.

"What kind of help?" I asked cautiously. Apollo conjured up a picture in his hands. It was a fine stone carving picture, etched into the side of a heavy granite tablet.

"Sorry." He said. "I left my IPAD with my body." The picture on the stone tablet was a picture of a triangle shaped dagger. It's handle decorated with tiny, yellow crystals, and it's blade shone with bright gold. On the handle of the blade was a small charm, held on with a piece of gold braided twine. The charm was a small yellow diamond pendant of a sun.

"A daggar?" I mumbled. Apollo nodded.

"That's it's default form. It's actually my key." He said.

"Your key?" I asked.

"To the sun chariot." He said. "A spirit thief came, and stole it from right under my nose."

"What were you doing that had to so distracted that a spirit stole your car keys?" I asked. Apollo shrugged.

"What do you want me to do? She was cute." I rolled my eyes.

"I hope you are not insinuating that you want me to retrieve this for you. I have enough problems at camp." I said, handing back the tablet.

"You have to Will. You're the cabin counselor. It's your duty. I'm sorry, but I've already chosen you. I can't set, or raise the sun without my chariot." I sighed, and he continued. "Soon, the mist in the mortal world will wear off, and they will notice the sun is not setting. The lack of night will bring draughts. The west side of the planet will die from exposure to the sun, and the east side will die from lack of sun. It's up to you. I cannot enter Hades realm." Apollo finished.

"What makes you think the dagger is in Hades realm." I asked.

"A spirit took it. All spirits must return to Hades." Apollo answered.

"How am I supposed to get to the Underworld anyway?" I asked. Apollo smirked, and waved his hand in from of me. Light followed his palm, and a picture formed within it. The picture was a picture of a boy, sleeping in a bed. That boy was Nico Di Angelo. Son of Hades.

"Your little boyfriend is the best guide possible. Choose him for your quest."

"As if Nico Di Angelo will do anything I say." I mumbled, not bother to argue the boyfriend comment. Apollo laughed.

"My good friend Aphrodite says he may be willing to do more than you think." My eyes knitted in confusion, but before I could question my father further, Apollo had gotten up from his position in the sand. He brushed non existent grains off his shorts, and for a moment he looked almost like a father.

"I must go. I'm getting weaker by the minute. The responsibility falls to you, William Solace, Consoler of cabin 7." 

I awoke at three am in a cold sweat. A heavy stone tablet was clutched in my right hand that sported a picture of a beautiful sun dagger, that was actually the key to the sun god's chariot, but what worried me most was the outside. Three in the morning, and it looked like noon during the day. Sunlight flooding into the darknesses domain.

**I plan for this to be a 10-20 chapter fanfic. Just so you know, chapters of this length, that long requires a lot of time. Make sure that if you want me to continue updating regularly you leave a comment. They really help get me off my ass. You can also follow me on tumblr at miyo-nani . tumblr . com**


	2. The only one who can lead him

 

**Here is chapter two. I am typing this in my comprehensive literature class. I hope I don't get caught.**

Nico sleeps a staggering average of three hours a night if he is lucky. In the majority of time that he spends in his cabin, he spends six hours reading old books from his fathers library, three hours starring at a wall, another one and a half starring at a picture of his older sister, and every now and again he will consider visiting the Underworld. However, Nico's recent experience concerning the Underworld have been less than pleasant.

It's been three years since the Battle of Manhattan, and a little over a year since Nico had walked the dark paths of Tartarus. Sometime, in his sleep, Nico would awaken in the pitch black land where a river of fire lay between him and escape. He would jolt awake believing that he never left the black hell at all. The instant feeling of terror would rip him from his sleep and he would stumble around his cabin, often knocking over furniture, trying to find his bearings.

A situation such as that had arose the morning. Chiron, Camp Half-Blood's head advisor, did something extremely rare. Something that surprised even Nico, and Nico was sure he had seen and done it all. He knocked on Nico's front door. Nico scratched the back of his head and stifled a yarn as he threw the cabin door open. His eyes widened, taking in the camp leaders full form. Half human, half horse. A majestic, tame centaur in all his rarity.

"Chiron!" Nico exclaimed. He opened the door completely and gawked at the man on his porch.

"Mr. di Angelo. I hope cabin thirteen is accommodating you well." Chiron said in a voice that said 'strictly business stuff'.

"It's a bit dark." Nico admitted. Chiron chuckled humorlessly. Sometimes Nico got the feeling that Chiron was less than happy to accommodate the son of Hades.

"I apologize for the decoration teams assumptions. I'll have that remedied while you are away." He said. Nico's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Away? I'm not going anywhere. I thought I had made that perfectly clear." Chiron nodded gravely.

"I think you should follow me, Mr. di Angelo." Chiron finished. Before Nico could speak the centaur turned around promptly and began walking across the green toward the Big House. The main hive of the camp that served as a strategy department, as well as the main operations headquarters for all the camp activities. It also housed the camp's oracle, Rachel Dare. Usually only camp teachers and quest goers will step foot into the Big House regularly.

Nico was neither of these. Despite this, Nico trudged after Chiron, finding it hard to keep up with Chiron's long legs. His chest was tight and breath short by the time he finally collapsed in the entry way of the Big House.

"No time to rest. This way." Chiron muttered, walking at a modest pace down the wide hallway that was altered for his easy access. Nico huffed and picked himself up from the floor. He really needed to get back into shape like the old days. Minus the excessive McDonald's habit of course.

Chiron pushed the large oak door to his office open and held it for Nico. Cautiously, he entered the room.

"I don't really understand what this is about." He muttered while walking past Chiron. His words dying on his lips as he saw Will Solace standing in the room, leaning over a map that was spread along Chiron's large desk.

"What is he doing here?" Nico asked defensively, beginning to back out of the room and search for a shadow out of habit.

"Calm down, Nico." Chiron said closing the door. "This involves you also. Take a seat." Chiron gestured to a chair across from his desk and Nico sat. Chiron took his seat behind his desk and Will moved the map out of the way before taking a seat on the corner of the desk.

"Tell me what is going on." Nico said, clearly not trusting the occupants in the room. Will sighed.

"I got a quest last night. Too recover my father's dagger in the Underworld." Will said, fiddling with a stone tablet in his hands.

"What does that have to do with me?" Nico asked. Chiron handed Nico a smaller version of the map that was on the desk.

"As you know the entrances and exits leading to and from the Underworld are constantly changing. We need somebody to find Will here an entrance and serve as a escort." Chiron finished. Nico snorted.

"I haven't been to the Underworld since..." Nico hesitated. "Since Tartarus and you think my mentality is so stable that I can sniff out a portal like that? Like I'm googling the nearest Walmart? I'm not made of iron you know." Nico snapped. Will suddenly looked guilty and awkward. His eyes refusing to meet Nico's own. Chiron just sighed.

"If anybody else was able to do it, you know we wouldn't put this kind of pressure on you." Chiron exclaimed in a calming voice but Nico was having none of that.

"You mean if my sister was here. And Hazel is a child of riches, not death. So she is useless!" Nico yelled. Chiron glanced at Will, who was still refusing to meet Nico's eyes, and back at Nico himself.

"I think you two should have a little talk. Settle your differences." Chiron said, raising from his desk and walking toward the door. Leaving the office without another word.

"Nico..." Will began, hopping off the desk. "I'm sorry about what I did yesterday. I was totally overstepping my bounds, and if it will make you feel better I won't mention it again." Will said.

Nico nodded in agreement. He didn't want Will to mention anything from that time period in his life. That time where he was at his absolute lowest point.

"But... Just promise me that if you ever feel the need to... to do that again, you will talk to me or anybody else before you do anything rash." Will finished. For a moment, Nico believed that Will was going to reach over and grasp Nico's hand. But his hands staying firmly planted in his lap.

Nico mulled it over. Stationary life was certainly not for him. He couldn't handle being around so many people daily and he yearned for the adventurous lifestyle he had become accustomed to. Nico figured it wouldn't be to hard to find a portal if he really set it mind to it.

"I'll do it." Nico said. "But keep your promise." He warned. Will smirked, and nodded.

"Of course." he promised, his eyes glittering. Nico felt a faint blush creep onto his face, and he quickly turned his head the other way.

"My father told me we have five days until the mist on the mortals wear off. He says once it wears off, the world will go into a panic, and eventually it will kill the planet." Will explained, a grim look on his face that didn't put Nico at ease at all.

"Five days to get to the underworld, and back." Nico mumbled as he leaned over the map on the desk. 

The ink was dry, faded, and chipped, and the paper was crisp, and yellow with age. However, despite it's appearance, the map was probably one of the most up to date maps he had seen. It was a complete map of the U.S, and Nico found that if you tapped the upper left corner, the map expanded to a full sized map of the world. Nico stayed in the U.S. He would need the closest portal possible.

Words of all cities, states, and small towns were printed across the yellow parchment. Tiny clouds, suns, and thunder bolts were moving across the paper that represented the weather, and if Nico squinted he could see tiny print appear on some of the interstate lines that said "Road blockage due to accident." Or sometimes, "Closed due to road work." would pop up here, and there.

Nico closed his eyes, and reached his subconsciousness out into the world waiting to receive information. Hoping for anything, he tried to connect to the Underworld system that his father had so intricately created. Finally, he connected, and saw what he was looking for, and honestly he wasn't surprised. 

"Vegas?" Nico mumbled out loud. Will directed his attention to Nico from the map. 

"What did you say?" Will asked. "What about Vegas?" 

"There is a portal in Vegas." Nico said. "Probably the same one Percy used all those years ago." 

"It's been open all this time?" Will asked, shocked. Nico shook his head. 

"Probably not. It probably opens every five years, and our timing is lucky." Will nodded, and turned back to the map thinking. 

"Vegas is a long ways away." He mumbled. Nico agreed. 

"But it's the only once open in the U.S right now." Nico said. "It's our only shot." Will nodded, and began rolling up the map. 

"Go pack Nico. We will leave immediately. I'll inform Chiron." Nico nodded and left the room, his mind thinking about what equipment he would need for the trip. 

"Oh, and Nico!" Will said. Nico whirled around, meeting face to face with Will. "Thank you." Will said. Nico smiled, and turned around, walking out of the building.

 

Will, and Nico had left town over three hours ago. They had left at noon, and it was almost three in the afternoon. However, it was getting hard to gauge the time with the sun staying in the same potion at all times. 

The blazing heat annoyed Nico, and the constant light zapped at his energy. Probably the same way perpetual darkness would zap Will's energy. Nico couldn't imagine what the children of Apollo are going through on the other side of the world. Probably the same thing Nico is going through now. However, Nico dutifully trudged through along the highway, and into Detroit. Probably one of the dirtiest cities Nico had ever walked through. And in Nico's preteen days, he had trudged through many cities.

"What's the plan?" Nico asked Will. Will squinted his eyes, and looked around. We were in (thankfully) uptown Detroit. Around us were restaurants, outlet malls, and a city park. Will's face lit up as he spotted out answer to everything.

"Let's rent a car!" Will said in excitement. Nico rolled his eyes.

"That's a stupid idea." Nico said. Will frowned.

"Than think of a better one, Doom-and-Gloom." He retorted in a snide manor.

"Don't call me that! How would we pay for a car anyway?" Nico asked. Will seemed to forget Nico's 'stupid idea' comment, and he began fishing through his jean pocket, and pulling out a sleek, shiny, solid gold, credit card.

"Daddy loan you his credit card did he?" said Nico in a teasing manor. Will's scowl appeared once more.

"Well at least he is helping me. What did your dad give you for the quest." Nico huffed, and refused to answer. Instead, Will gave him a 'I won this argument' look, and began stalking off toward the car rental place. Nico wished he knew some underworld curses to mutter after the tall, blonde boy, but italian ones would do as he stalked after him.

By the time Nico had arrived at the dealership, a few minutes behind Will, Will was already at the counter arguing with lady at the front desk.

"I'm sorry sir, but you must be at least eighteen years old to rent a car from us!" The receptionist lady insisted. Will groaned, and ran his hand through his hair. A habit that I noticed he did whenever he was stressed.

"Look." Will said, sliding the solid gold credit card toward the lady. "Is there anyway you can make an exception?" Will asked, a polite smile plastered onto his face. The receptionist lady sighed, and shook her head.

"Look, if you were older, and just happened to forget your driver license, than maybe I could look the other way, but you and your little friend here don't look a day over sixteen." she said, fixing her glasses. Will groaned, and I felt slightly offended by the age comment. I hardly registered the door ding behind me, alerting the shop to the arrival of a customer.

"Ma'am." Will tried again. I was ready to drag him out of the shop by his silky, golden hair. "We really need to get to Las Vegas." Will said. "Money is no object." He insisted.

"Money is no object?" A voice sounded behind us. Will, and I both turned around to be met with a young mortal girl who looked around college age. She wore jean shorts, and a flowing white tank top under a jean jacket. Her hair was long, blank, and held in a bun by a large white clip.

"I'm heading toward Iowa for college. I can take you to Des Moines, but thats as far as I can go." she said. "But you two look young. Where are your parents?" Will froze, and Nico stepped forward.

"We're both 18. We just don't have any ID with us currently." He said, flashing the girl a smile. She blinked for a moment before smiling back.

"Great. I'm just here to drop of my friends keys, and we can head out." She said, dropping the keys on the receptionist desk, and motioning for Nico, and Will to follow her outside.

"This one is mine." She said motioning to a silver Buick sitting in the parking lot like it was the epitome of all cars. Nico called front seat, and Will squished himself into the back looking less than pleased at their current situation.

"We never got your name." Nico said, turning to the mortal girl. The dazed look flashed across the girls face once more before she seemed to recover. Will huffed, and pretended not to notice.

"Emily." she said. "Emily Dara."

"Well, Emily." Will said from the back seat. "How far is it to Iowa?" he asked. Emily laughed.

"About eight hours. Five if you drive with me." She said. Nico didn't like the sound of that, but decided protesting wasn't in his best interest as the mortal girl shifted the car out of gear, and took off down the streets of Detroit. Straight toward the interstate leading to Iowa.

 

Nico was about to rip his ears out of his head. The mortal girl had the radio turned up to an insane volume, and was screeching to a 21st century song that Nico had never even fathomed that anybody would write.

"And at the end of the night when the lights go out will we turn down? Oh no we won't!" Nico groaned inwardly, but managed to shoot a reassuring smile her way. He scowled in the rearview mirror where he noticed Will had inserted his apparently magical stethoscope into his ears, and was napping peacefully.

"I wanna rock with somebody!" She wailed. "I wanna take shots with somebody!" Nico couldn't stand it anymore. He reached toward the radio, and turned down the volume. Emily didn't seem to mind.

"What's up?" She asked. Nico scrambled for a reason why he turned off the radio besides telling her that her singing was terrible.

"I just figured we could talk. Get to know each other." Emily smiled.

"Sounds like a plan! So where are you from." Emily asked. Nico shrugged.

"Italy." He said. The girl turned to him.

"Seriously? You don't even have an accent, can you speak Italian?" she asked. Nico nodded, and Emily looked at him expectantly. Obviously wanting him to speak Italian.

"Stai cantando è terribile." Nico said. The girl smiled, clearly not understanding what he had said. Nico heard Will chuckle from the back seat. 

Great, so his fancy stethoscope can also translate languages.

"That's so hot that you are from Italy." Emily said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Nico smirked, but instantly felt uncomfortable. He knew when the female population flirted with him, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Are you sure you have to leave Iowa as soon as we arrive?" Emily asked, laying her hand on Nico's knee. "Maybe you could stay the night." She said, biting her lip, her finger tapping on the leather steering wheel. Nico shook her head.

"No I really can't." He said, brushing Emily's hand off of his knee.

"Oh sorry. Are you not into me?" Emily said in a slightly bitter voice. Nico rubbed his palms together, a habit he did when he was nervous.

"It's not you. It's just. You know, the female population in general." Nico said.

"You're nervous around girls? Baby, we can fix that." Emily purred. Nico almost gagged when she said baby.

"No." He exclaimed. "I'm gay." Emily immediately drew her hand back.

"Oh. Well this is embarrassing."

"No no. It's fine really." Nico reassured her awkwardly. Emily nodded, and turned up the radio to fill the awkward silence. Nico sighed, and rested his head back. In the rearview mirror, Will Solace starred at him with a shocked expression.

 

"Thanks for the ride." Will said. Emily smiled, and waved her hand.

"No way. Thanks for paying for the gas!" Emily exclaimed. "Hit me up if you two are ever in Iowa." Nico nodded.

"By the way." Emily muttered leaning in close to Nico. "You and the blonde boy make a cute couple." Nico's face erupted in a fiery red color, and he began stammering.

"What? Solace? Yeah right." He said leaning away from Emily. She laughed, and gave them one final wave before pulling off back onto the main road.

"What was that about?" Will asked as soon as he, and Nico began walking through the forest that cut through the Iowa countryside. Nico felt himself blush again.

"Nothing. She just told me a lame joke." Nico muttered.

"You, and Emily bond on our little road trip did you?" Will asked. Nico thought he detected a bit of an edge in Will's voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Even if we did, it's none of your business." Will seemed to drop it after that, and he and Nico walked through the woods in silence.

"Tell me again why you insisted Emily drop us off by a forest, and not an airport?" Will asked. Nico shuddered.

"I'm not good with airplanes. Besides, I felt magic in the forest. I think there is a minor god here. Maybe they can help us get to Vegas." Nico finished. Will seemed to accept his answer. Nico felt the source of the godly power draw him deeper into the forest.

"Maybe it's a nature spirit." Will reasoned. "Like Pan." Nico laughed humorlessly.

"Pan is dead." He said like it was common knowledge. "He faded."

"How does a god fade?" Will asked incredulously.

"They lose their footing in the mortal world." Nico muttered. He heard the leaves crunch under his feet, and Will spoke up after a few moments.

"Like you do?" He asked. Nico was tempted to wheel around, and scold Will for not knowing how to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he focused on following the source of power.

"Yeah." He answered. "Like me."

Nico pushed through the brush, and instantly wanted to turn around and hike tail right back to the highway.

"We should go." Nico said turning around, and pushing on Will's chest.

"Go? Why? And why is there a donut shop in the middle of the forest?" Will said, pushing Nico out of the way, and approaching the shop.

"No Will! Don't go near it!" Nico had some bad experiences with Monster Donut shops in the past, and he felt he was completely justified to be cautious of this one.

It sat in a clearing right next to a small pond of water, trees encaged the shop, clearing, and pond in a tight circle, as if nature itself was trying to contain the shop from the outside world.

"Demigods?" A voice came from inside the shop? "Demigods?!" It asked again in a slightly louder voice.

"Uh... Yeah?" Will answered. Will, and Nico heard a joyful laugh from inside the shop. Like the voice had been saved.

"Great! Yes! Oh the higher gods have answered my prayers! I sense you two boys are in need of transportation correct?" The voice said. Nico, and Will's eyes widened. How does this voice know that Nico, and Will need to get to Vegas?

"Yeah!" Will answered. "We are, I mean we do! To Vegas! We need to go to Vegas! Can you help us?" Will said, tripping over his words from excitement.

"Of course, of course my dear demigods! I'll help you out, if you help me out!" the voice answered. Will starred at the shop in confusion, and Nico automatically drew his swords. Glancing around at any sign of danger.

"Don't do it Will. We should just go. We can find another way to Vegas." Will pretended not to hear his quest companion.

"Well...." Will hesitated. "What's wrong?" Nico heard an angry huff from the shop.

"Will you help or not?" The voice demanded. "This is a one time offer Son of Apollo. According to that sky, you don't have a lot of time to be making decisions." That seemed to strike a chord with Will.

"Fine! Yes we'll help!" Nico groaned at Will's rash decision.

"Perfect!" The voice said. "I have a pesky water hydra in my pretty little pond. Be a couple of dears, and slay it for me?" Will turned to Nico in confusion. An emotion that Nico was sure that Will's face was going to permanently adopt.

"Shit." Nico mumbled, turning to leave the open field, but the trees had moved so impossible close together, that they formed a wall. Bound by their promise to help, Nico and Will stood trapped in the green. It was completely silent. The only thing Nico heard was the soft click of the lock on the from door of Monster Donut.

"Idiot!" Nico yelled. "Don't make decisions without asking me! You've hardly left the camp!" Nico yelled at him.

"Nico where-" Will began to say, but the small pond by the donut shop exploded in a huge wave of water. Which wouldn't be so bad, Nico decided, if it weren't for the fact that instead of falling to the ground, and soaking the two boys it began to collect in the air. Forming itself into one long, serpent-like body. At the end of the body made of water, four snake heads appeared. Each as large as a car, with huge jaws, and rows of a million razor sharp teeth. The hydra made completely of water reared back, and lot out a deathening roar.

"You have got to be kidding me."

**Let me know what you guys think! See you tomorrow!**

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**The last two chapters were pretty long. Roughly 4,000 words each. Woah, hardcore writing from me. Unfortunately, these next few won't be as long. Most of my chapters average around 3,000 words per chapter. I don't know why those were so long maybe I was just really into the story. But a chapter will never be under 3,000 words. Just a heads up! Leave a review at the end of the story.**

I swear to god I could practically kick myself if I had that kind of time. Unfortunately I didn't. Precious seconds were spent dodging a massive water hydra, and doing whatever I can to minimize injuries, and think up a genius strategic plan to defeat it.

The water hydra, and Nico were at a stand still. Nico's fancy underworld blade apparently couldn't vanquish water, and the hydra found it hard to watch a pray that could teleport into the shadows. Shadows that were so generously provided to Nico via the trees. It was a plain, and simple, good, old fashion, mexican stand off.

Or it would be, if Nico didn't look more, and more worn out by the minute. I glance around furiously looking for anything that can help our cause. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could quite combat water that moved, and struck with the ferocity of a ten ton knife.

The water hydra lunged for Nico, who quickly side stepped the oncoming attack, and the hydra crashed head (or heads) first into a tree in the barrier. Nico staggered for a moment before stumbling into the nearest shadow, and traveling across the green. The hydra quickly recovered, and slung itself around the base of the tree, and launching across the way toward Nico. I began to panic when he didn't quite step out of the way in time, and got shoulder checked by a ton of moving water.

"Nico!" I called in a hurry. "Maybe we should get the hydra to destroy the tree barrier, and make a run for it!" I suggested. I saw Nico shake his head from where he was standing, and spit out a clump of blood.

"No, we need that transportation. Just keep thinking while I distract it."

I wanted to scream, but instead I ran my fingers through my hair, and looked around again. We were completely alone in the green besides the Monster Donut shop (which was locked), and the empty hole in the ground where the pound sat. Which is completely dried up being as it was a man eating water hydra in disguise. I thought for a moment, and decided that sometimes stupid plans are stupid because they are your only option.

"Hold it off for a bit longer, Nico. I have a plan!" I said yelled as I ran toward the dry hole in the ground, and slid in. I tucked my legs under myself, and power slid down the hole until I came to the bottom.

Let me start off by saying that children of Apollo are mostly useless. Our talents are limited to healing, and singing. But sometimes, with enough practice, we can do some cool shit. Like create a land mine of solar energy. Which, I admit, probably might have come in handy a couple times in the past. The thing is, these things take a lot, and I mean a LOT, of energy to create. Most children of Apollo can only do one on a solar eclipse or something. Now that the sun was out 24/7, solar energy was not in short supply.

I laid my palms facedown, and tilted my face toward the sky, straight at the sun. I allowed the energy to radiate through my body, and collect in a concentrated area at the bottom of dried up pond. I felt the heat travel into my face, and quickly down my arms, and out my palms. After a while I had a fairly decent sized trap of solar energy. The entire thing looked like a giant, basketball sized marble. But the solar energy circled around inside, and tiny explosions wisps of heat from the center.

"Nico!" I yelled scrambling up the side of the dried pond, and hauling myself up over the edge. "Nico, it's ready! I need you to-" but my words died on my lips. Nico wavered in the center of the green, his breaths coming in large huffs, and his eyes sunken in from what looked like exhaustion. He glanced at me through half lidded eyes.

"Nico!" I yelled. The hydra was recovering from a particularly nasty slam against the tree line when Nico Di Angelo collapsed, dead center in the middle of the green. I suppose the Hydra was intelligent enough to understand the concern in my voice. It reared his heads around, and locked it's sites on Nico, collapsed and out cold.

"Shit." I said. I took off in a dead spring, waving my arms incredulously to get the water hydra's attention.

"Hey!" I yelled. I would only have one shot at this. "Hey! Water bug! Over here!" The water hydra lopped it's heads toward the direction of my voice, and I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth. Once I was sure that the hydra was coming after me, and no longer had any interest in Nico, I turned tail and sprinted back toward the dried pond.

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, and prayed I was fast enough. I took a deep breath, and leapt over the smallest part of the pond so that I was on the other side, and I swirled around to face my pursuer. 

The Hydra was about twenty feet from the pond. Twenty five feet away from me. _Perfect_ , I thought. I brought my fingers to my mouth. They twitched into the perfect position automatically. I took a deep breath, and whistled.

Sometimes, children of Apollo can whistle at such a high frequency they can shatter glass. This entire plan had been based on a haunch that I had that maybe it could stun the water hydra long enough for it to fall right on top of my solar energy mine. Evaporating it instantly. Water was already a natural sound filter. The high frequency of my whistle should be greatly magnified by the water body of the hydra. At once the water monster froze, directly above the pond, and my solar mine.

Before the water body of the hydra fell back into the pond I began to laugh in victory, and when the water gave up it's shape, and fell down back into the dried up hole, and set off the solar energy mine I knew we had won.

The mine went off with a loud **POOUF** and steam began to fill the air around the green, making it impossible for the hydra to reform his water body. The way that hydras were defeated in the old days was to burn each head stump of the hydra to prevent it from growing back, but apparently evaporating the entire thing at once worked well also.

I would have stayed longer to coordinate my victory dance, but Nico need attending to. His wounds weren't healing despite being partially in a shadow, and he didn't seem to be responding to any of the recent action. I ran over to his limp body, and quickly collected his small frame in my arms. I took off for the Monster Donut shop.

"Let us in!" I said, shifting Nico's weight to one arm, and pounding on the door with my other. "We beat your stupid water hydra!" I said. Almost at once, the door lock clicked open, and the the door flung open wide to reveal a small, plump old man with white hair, and completely black eyes. He was dressed in a red, and black suit, with small spectacles that sat on his round nose.

"Ah ha! So you have, my boy! So you have! Please, please come in!" He said ushering me into his shop. Or at least I assume it is his shop. I quickly located a table, and used one arm to sweep off the various bottles, and books that loitered it.

"Rude." I heard the small old man mumble. I ignored him, and laid Nico down quickly. Ripping off his jacket, and shit to check his injuries. Once I could see what I was dealing with, I noticed that he had no open wounds, but his ribs, spine, and stomach was loitered with dark green, and purple bruises.

"Turn that light off!" I snapped at the old man who huffed, and mumbled about the rude attitudes of youth nowadays, but obliged. The lighted shut off, and the room was dim. The shadows on the wall were going to start reaching their creepy tentacles toward Nico any minute now. Yes. Any minute now.

Any minute.

"Why isn't it working?!" I yelled. The small old man was at my side at once, and began examining Nico's wounds.

"Hmmm." He said as if he was tasting a wine.

"What? What is it?!" I asked. I was very close to strangling this god of... this god of... whatever he was!

"This is a son of Hades!" He said as if I didn't know that. I groaned, and ran my hand through my hair.

"Yes, yes! Son of Hades! Tell me what you know!" The old man chuckled, and dug his hand through his overcoat, and pulled out a long wooden pipe, which was curiously already lit.

"This demigod isn't healing because he is out of his element. He needs darkness!" he said taking a long puff of his pipe. I starred at him for what seemed like a good minute before I began gesturing wildly to the off lights above us.

"Is this not dark enough?" I grounded out. I looked around the room for a moment before I noticed a can of paint sitting on the counter behind the cash register. I stalked over to it, and quickly ripped the lid off, chipping off the tops of a few finger nails. I ignored the sharp pain, and began throwing the paint, (which was a lovely lilac color) onto the windows. Trying anything to block out the sunlight that streamed into the shop. The old man chuckled, and it antagonized me.

"You're wasting your time boy. This son of Hades doesn't need the absence of light. He needs _true_ darkness. Underworld darkness. The kind of darkness that is associated with night. Not shadows of the sun." I dropped the paint can, and ran back to Nico's side, and began gently patting his cheeks.

"Come on Nico! Wake up! You shadow traveled with the Athena Parthenos! You can recover from this." I said desperately. In my peripheral vision I could see the annoying old man shake his head. I wheeled around, and turned to him in anger.

"This is your fault old man. If you are a god, why couldn't you banish a simple water hydra?!" I yelled. The man began to puff his pipe with no sign of caring about my outburst.

"I am a simple harvest god. Panianilos, at your service." he said doing a little bow.

"Well, _Panianilos,_ held my friend. Now." I said. I could hear the steel edge in my voice. You should never threaten a god. Even a minor harvest god like Panianilos could better me in a fight.

"Alas, there is nothing I can do. I don't have to power to bring true night upon this world." He said, looking off into the distance like perhaps, once upon a time, he did have that kind of power.

"But!" He said fishing through his pocket. "I can give you a bonus on your payment." he said. I gawked at this man's actions. My quest partner laid on a table, dying from injuries he can't recover from, and he thought I was concerned about a reward?!

"Here we are." He said pressing a light blue coin into my palm. "You're ride to the entrance to the Underworld in Las Vegas. That coin can only be used in Utah though. Don't ask. Boundary dispute. So you will have to make your way there before you can use it." I starred at the coin in my hand, and contemplated throwing it back in Panianilos's face.

"And this map, as your bonus for your little friend sacrifice here." Despite how annoyed I was by the situation, I grasped the map. It looked like a treasure map drawn by an eight year old. In the lower right corner of there was a crude drawing of the Monster Donut shop, as well as a tiny doodle of the water hydra, but it had been drawn with a mustache, and a unibrow. As well as an arrow pointing to it that said "Big stupid head". Leading from the shop, and the offensive picture of the water hydra, were small, uneven dash lines that led up to the middle of the page, loop-de-looped, and shot upward to the upper left corner of the ridiculous map, which was a large picture of a giant, red X.

"That's God Spa. They also do medical work for the right price. Luckily for you the owner of that spa owes me a 'No questions asked' from the Helen of Troy era. Should still be redeemable. Can probably nurture your friend back to health, and oh look! It's on your way to Utah. Damn, I am so giving today!"

I shook my head, and tucked the map, and blue coin into my bag. "So somebody there can heal Nico?" I asked.

"Oh sure! Sure!" He said waving his arm. "And to prove to you that I have nothing, but good intentions, you can borrow my old truck out back! Just follow that map, get your friend patched up, and head down to Utah." He said. I nodded, and grasped his hand.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" I said slinging my bag over my shoulder, and gathering Nico back in my arms. I began to make my way toward the back door. I cast one last glance over my shoulder to thank Panianilos one last time, but he was already gone. Leaving the strange donut shop empty.

 

When that harvest god said old, I hadn't pictured almost a hundred years old. The thing was black, bulky, and I had to get the engine running by cranking a lever in the front of the car while Nico slumped over himself in the front seat. Held up only by a thin seatbelt that took me ten minutes to strap onto him. Finally, the fresh-off-the-line Henry Ford roared to life, and I got behind the wheel. When I turned sixteen I drove dad's sun chariot. How much harder could this be?

Very hard, as it turns out. I got lost twice, the loop-de-loop on the map kept throwing me off until I realized Panilanios was referring to a rounded interstate entry. On top of that, the offensive faces drawn on the water hydra kept changing, and tossing insults at me like, "Your hair looks terrible today." or "That shirt doesn't suit you at all."

The only thing that kept me sane was occasionally glancing over at Nico. Thankfully, he didn't look as 'out cold' as he had at first. One might even mistake him for sleeping now. Might.

Sometimes, I would get caught up in the way his hair fell over his face, or how every now and again he would let out tiny breathes that sounded like, huff. Sometimes, I would wonder if I was Nico's type. I had overheard his conversation with Emily, the college mortal, and I was pleasantly surprised by Nico's admission to being gay. I wondered if maybe, after all this mess was cleared up. If it ever got cleared up, Nico, and I might have a shot at being something more than acquaintances.

I heard Nico groan in the seat next to me, and instantly blushed at thinking about such things when I needed to get Nico to this God Spa as soon as possible. Which is a relief, because not a second to soon it came into view. It was a large, white wash, stone building that rose up over a hill. The words "God Spa" were spelled out in large, red, letters.

 

"Panianilos decided to cash _this_ in as his 'no questions asked'?" The women asked, rubbing her long, spindly hands on a towel as she exited the room where she was currently keeping Nico in recovery. I nodded.

"We killed a water hydra that had nested near is donut shop." I said. The women huffed.

"That stupid old man. He destroyed an entire city when I used a 'no questions asked', and I had been waiting a thousand years dreading what he will ask me to do in return. Only for that fear to be validated by him wanting me to cure a silly demigod." She sounded condescending, but I could tell she was secretly happy. What she was happy from, I may never know.

"Is he going to be alright at least?" I asked, standing up. I had been waiting for almost an hour now. I remember rushing into the God Spa with Nico limp in my arms, shouting for help, muttering Panianilos's name, and the story of the water hydra. The spa attendants thought I was crazy until Rina here recognized Panianilos's name.

"Sure. No more strenuous activity though. Especially for a child of Hades. I can't imagine the strain on his heath that he has taken with the sun out around the clock." she said as she began packing ointments, and bottles back into her case. I hadn't thought about how the constant sun might have a negative effect on Nico. Than again, he hadn't mentioned anything either. Before Rina left the room I stopped her.

"Do you happen to have the time by the way?" I asked. She pulled out a sleek smart phone that had a picture of Zeus's thunder bolt on the back.

"It's 8 p.m" She said, and I nodded. "Once he wakes up, he will be good to go. Pleasure doing business with you." and she walked out the room. Eight p.m. We left the camp yesterday at noon. Which meant the second day is almost over, and we had three more days left to recover my father's dagger. I didn't want to even think about what would happen if we didn't make it.

"Will?" My head snapped up, and Nico had made his way out into the waiting room I was sitting in.

"Oh gods. Nico!" I said, launching off my chair, and pulling him into a big bear hug. "I thought you were a goner!" I said. Nico was stiff in my arms, and I pulled back in embarrassment. I could have sworn Nico had a light blush on his face.

"Where am I?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll tell you on the way to Utah."

"Utah?"

 

"I hate Utah." Nico mumbled. "And I hate this truck." The old 1920's truck rumbled down the highway going a staggering speed of forty miles an hour. You would think a god would have an old car, and it would turn out to go, like, eight hundred miles an hour, but no. It was just a shitty, ordinary truck from the 1900's.

"We have to go to Utah, and look!" I said pointing to a road sign. "Utah boarder. Ten miles. As soon as we are in Utah we can use this coin to call our ride to Vegas." I said, fingering the blue coin that laid in the safety of my jean pocket.

"And how do we use this mystical coin?" Nico asked. I was both glad, and annoyed that his usual sass had returned. 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' they say.

"I suppose just like an iris message, but it will link us directly to whoever Panianilos thought would take us to Vegas." Nico grumbled at my 'iffy answer' as he put it, but I didn't hear any real defining arguments from him. 

Just when I thought we were home free, the old truck began to rattle dangerously, and started to smoke from the engine compartment. I groaned, practically sensing what was about to happen. 

"Gods above. Please don't." Nico groaned. However, the gods didn't seem to be with us at the moment, as the the truck gave it's last spurt of life, and died about a mile from the Utah boarder. Nico groaned, and I let my head hit the steering wheel.

 

The walk to the boarder was long, and silent. Though in actuality, it was only about a twenty minute walk, and I had been subconsciously singing the theme song to The Brady Bunch the entire time. Once we did cross the boarder Nico collapsed on the ground, and began rummaging through his back pack. I was about to tease him for his lack of stamina if he can't even walk a mile, but I remembered the comment Rina made about the sun. How it's constant presence drained Nico of all energy. I felt a wave of concern wash over me.

"Hand me the coin." Nico said snapping me out of my thoughts over his health. I dug through my pocket, and pressed the blue coin into his palm. Slowly, Nico poured a small stream of water from the bottle he had pulled out of our pack, and onto the coin. At once, it began to spin in mid air. Sending flicks of water around it. Nico wiped some from his face. We watched in silence as the coin began to glow, and grow into a light blue, round doorway. Once it had reached full size, and sprouted a small gold knob, the door began to open from the other side, and Nico, and I both took a cautious step back.

"Be ready to fight." Nico whispered to me. I nodded in agreement.

The door opened with a flourish, and I heard Nico drop his sword next to me. I turned to him in question. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open with shock.

"Nico!" A deep voice boomed. I turned to the person who had walked through the round doorway. In front of us stood a man I have never seen before in my life. He was about six, and a half feet tall, and had black curly hair, a strong jaw, bright blue eyes, and was the most good looking male I had ever laid eyes on.

"I must say, I've never been summoned with a water bottle before!"

"Cupid?!"

**What is this shit? A cliff hanger? Fuck me right. Review please! Oh yes! "Sorry reader! I don't normally write chapters that are 4,000 words long" I say as I write yet another chapter that is 4,000 words long.**

 


	4. Cupid gets them a hotel room

"How cute." Cupid said, antagonizing Nico a bit. Nico frowned, and briefly considered throwing his pack straight into Cupid's smug face. Nico glanced at Will, who looked between the two in confusion.

"Wait." Will said. "Who is he? Cupid? Who is Cupid?" Nico resisted the urge to face palm. Of course. Cupid was his roman name, and Will was greek. Not to mention that he grew up in the camp. So the mortal's obsession with Cupid probably hasn't reached him.

"His name is-"

"My name doesn't matter." Cupid interrupted, glaring pointedly at Nico, who shut his mouth in return. Cupid leaned back against the door in satisfaction.

"Now, I believe that we should get right to the point." He said. Nico's brow furrowed.

"The point?" Nico inquired. Cupid laughed. It sounded like bells, and spring breeze fluttering through the trees. Nico's stomach flip flopped involuntarily. He almost gagged in response.

"My fee for transportation of course!" He said, spreading his arms wide. Will shoved Nico aside, and he fell to the ground with a strangled cry.

"Fee? We killed a water hydra for your stupid coin! That was our fee!" Will seemed either uncaring, or unaware that he had shoved Nico out of his way in favor to get all up in Cupid's face. He would have been offended if he didn't understand the temptation.

"That was that stupid harvest God's fee. Not mine." He reached into the silky fold of his robes, and fumbled around for a bit. His perfect eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Ah! Here it is!" He produced a small, heart shaped bottle that had a clear fizzy liquid in it. "I'd give it to you," he said talking pointedly at Will, "But your feelings are developing quite nicely if I do say so myself." He instead turned his attention to Nico, who was still on the ground watching the situation unfold.

"My feelings?" Will asked a bit flustered. Cupid help up a hand as if saying ' _shush mortal.'_  


"No. Way." Nico said. He knew exactly what was in that bottle, and there was no way he was touching it, let alone drinking it.

"I'm afraid it's the only way." Cupid said with feigned sadness. "Your time is ticking by. Slowly, but surely." Nico scowled up at him. He remembered with horror the time Cupid had forced Nico to admit his deepest secret to him in front of Jason Grace. At the time, it was the worst punishment Nico could possible imagine, but it had come to bring him one of his best friends. So in a way, Cupid had done him a small favor. Not that that justified it in any way.

"What is it?" Will asked leaning forward. Cupid pulled it away from him.

"Not for you, that's what it is." Cupid snapped. "Make your decision, demigod. The clock is ticket, and I am needed elsewhere." Nico looked away. 

On one hand, he had no idea how he would react to one of Cupid's love potions. Will had no idea what was going on, let alone who was standing in front of them. The god of love himself. But Will, and Nico had to get to Las Vegas. Which was a two or three week walk at least, and they didn't have a car. Nico didn't have the energy to shadow travel either. He was truly in a desperate corner.

"You'll take us straight to deaths door?" Nico asked cautiously.

"On my honor." Cupid said holding up a hand.

"And that will wear off?" Nico asked nodding toward the heart pottle in Cupid's palm.

"Eventually." Cupid said with a shrug. Nico had a feeling he was just saying that to get Nico to drink the potion already.

"Fine." He grumbled. Cupid grinned, and uncapped the clear, fizzy, liquid, and hanged the contents to Nico.

"Hold on!" Will interceded. "What is that? Why does Nico have to drink it." Nico shook his head.

"Shut up, Will. We have to get to the underworld." Will seemed conflicted, but shut his mouth long for Nico to tip his head back, and empty the contents into his mouth. It tasted like citrus as it flowed down his throat. Nico quickly emptied the bottle, and it magically dissolved into the air with a flourish of glitter.

"Well?" Will said stepping toward Nico. "Are you the same? What is going to happen? Will you turn into a horse?" Nico turned toward Will to yell at him, but as soon as his eyes met his face his voice locked in his throat. Butterflies erupted in his stomach, and his eyes widened. He felt his face grow hot at the close proximity, and his breathing begin to labor.

"It worked!" Cupid said with what sounded like shock. Nico managed to take his eyes from Will's face, and glare at Cupid.

"Are you happy now? Let's go!"

"Right, of course. I'm gonna need you to hold hands so you don't separate." Nico scowled, but his mind screamed, **_yes!_** Will automatically grabbed Nico's hand, and Nico's hand curled around Will's long fingers in response. His body, and his heart were having an epic civil war at the moment. Nico swore Cupid did it just to push his luck.

"And we are off!" Cupid said, and with a flick of his wrist Will, Nico, and Cupid dissipated into the wind, and rode the currents to Las Vegas.

 

"This is not deaths door!" Nico said, reaching for the nearest thing to curl at Cupid, which was a casino door rope. Cupid side stepped it easily.

"I figured you two should get some sleep before heading into the Underworld. It's not for the weak of physical body." Cupid said. Nico scowled, but said nothing. He was right. Once can easily fall in the underworld. A strong mind, and body is required.

"The door to death is right down the street in that pawn shop." Cupid said pointing to a dimly lit street a block down. He walked a bit aways from Nico, and Will.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you boys." He said, spreading his large, white wings. "And Nico?"

Nico glanced at Cupid, a scowl permanently etched into his face.

"Have a little fun. It's Vegas, baby!" And he was gone.

Will turned to Nico. "You have got to explain to me what just happened. I feel like I just walked into the end of a ridiculous story." Nico shook his head, and tried to suppress his butterflies at the sound of Will's smooth, deep voice.

"Let's just get a room. I'm beat." Nico said, heading into the Casino.

Will held the door open for Nico, and Nico glanced away. Trying desperately to hide the blush that appeared on his face. He approached a man who sat in front of a bouncer rope.

"We need a room. We don't want to gamble. Just a room please." Nico said. Sleep was catching up with him, and his voice blended together a bit. The man looked at Nico with one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry kid. This is a casino. Twenty one or older to enter." He said tapping a sign that was attached to the front of his booth. Nico swore in Italian.

"Shit. I forgot." Will smiled, and reached into his knapsack at his hip.

"Annabeth gave this to me before we left." He said bringing a dark gray perfume bottle out, and aiming it at the mortal guys face.

"What are you doing?" He said. "I'll call security. Is that pepper spray?" Will ignored his comments, and sprayed the contents into the mans face. I only than noticed that it was Spray Mist. The milky white mist surrounded the man's face. Whispering to him a world of which he wanted to see.

"Ah." He said blinking quickly, and starring at us as if he was reevaluating the situation. "I-I'm sorry. Right this way, Sirs. We have a room available." He said getting up from his desk in a haze, and glancing over his shoulder at us in suspicion before the mist took over once more, and he shook his head before turning back around and walking down the hallway.

"We should thank her." I whispered to Will, and he nodded in agreement. The man approached a door, and unclipped his employee key card from his belt, and slid it through the door key reader. It unlocked with a click.

"Have a nice night." He said with a pleasant tone, but his face still looked a bit dazed, and confused. Will, and I walked in the room, and I realized I was dead tired. I was ready to collapse on the bed before I saw what was in front of me.

"Of. Fucking. Course." One bed. What are we? In some kind of shitty romantic comedy? Will walked up next to me, and signed.

"What a predicament, right?" He said. "Guess we will have to share." He said in a teasing tone. I blushed brightly, and looked away. Trying to settle the flips my stomach was doing.

"No way." I snapped. "You're taking the floor!" Will frowned, and turned Nico toward him. His hands gripping his shoulders tightly.

"What's going on with you?" Will demanded. "You've been acting weird since we summoned that winged dude." Nico's heart pounded at being touched by Will. Being so close to Will. Feeling his breath on his face. Oh god. Was he a teenage girl now? Nico, despite himself, pushed Will away.

"His name is Cupid. Or Eros in greek." Will frowned.

"Eros? Aphrodite's son?" Will asked. Nico nodded bleakly. "And he gave you a-?" Will asked, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"A love potion." Nico admitted, his face bright red. To his surprise, Will smirked.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me." He said. Lightly teasing Nico.

"Well I do now!" Nico protested. Will's thumbs began to drawn small circles on Nico's shoulders, and he slowly lowered them to his upper arms, mid arms, hands, and eventually settling them on his waist. Drawing small, slow circles all the way down.

"You know." WIll said, taking a small step closer. Nico felt his body to rigid at the feel of his breath on his face. "I don't mind sharing a bed." He said. All teasing was gone from his voice, and his face was so close, that their foreheads touched.

Kiss him.

_Kiss him._

_**Kiss him.** _

And so it was done. Nico could barely take it. He gravitated to Will like a magnet and sealed their lips together in a love potion induced haze. Will groaned at instant contact, and took a deep breath in through his nose, and pulled Nico closer at once.

"Oh god." He muttered into Nico's mouth. "I've been wanting to do this for years." He muttered again. Nico drew back as Will talked, and placed tiny kisses on his lips between words before taking his lips back into a fiery kiss once he finished. Will led Nico the the single bed, and let himself fall upon it, taking Nico with him.

Nico adjusted his position, and placed his knees on either side of Will's hips, giving his hands full access to Will's chest. Will lifted his leg hesitantly, and slotted it in between Nico's. Nico was suddenly aware of the foreign presence between his legs.

"Oh my god." He said jumping off Will. Will sat up immediately, and looked at Nico with concern.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked looking around as if searching for an intruder. Nico starred at him wide eyed.

"What do you mean 'What's wrong?' Nico asked, gesturing between them. "This! This is wrong!" He said. Will's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean? You're not gay?" Will asked. Nico's eyes widened. How did Will even know he was gay? That wasn't important right now.

"What no! I mean, yes! I am gay, but that's not the problem!" He said.

"Than what's the problem?" Will asked. Nico could tell he was getting upset.

"I'm under the influence of a love potion, Will! These feelings aren't real! They are induced!" Nico snapped. Will face looked angry, but his eyes looked sad. He looked like he wanted to continue yelling, but he starred at Nico. His chest heaving from the previous activities coupled with the argument.

"You're right. You don't really feel that way for me." He gently pushed Nico off of him, and stood up from the bed.

"I'm sorry I took advantage of the love potion." He said, not meeting Nico's eyes. He grabbed one of the two pillows, and an extra blanket from the closet. He positioned himself on the floor, and rolled over. His back toward Nico.

"Will-" Nico began.

"Go to sleep, Nico." Will snapped from his spot on the floor. Nico starred at the son of Apollo's back before sighing, and turning over in the bed. He reached out and turned off the lamp. As he lay in the dark listening to Will's distant breathing he wondered how different it would be if Will was curled up next to Nico instead of across the room. How much warmer would the bed be if he shared it with him? How much more pleasant would Nico's dreams be if they were spent in his arms.

Nico whipped his eyes, and noticed he was crying. It didn't feel like the potion though. It truly felt like Nico's heart had split in two.

**So I don't update in two days, and when I do it's under 4,000 words, and I didn't even have time to properly proof read. UGH! It's finals time of the year, and if you are a college student you should understand how draining that is. I actually had to chop my rough draft for this chapter in half because this is all I could bring myself to write. I'll have the other half up by tomorrow. Pinky promise. Thanks for putting up with me. Leave a review!**


	5. chapter 5

I woke up before Nico, which is no surprise. The surprising part was that I woke up at all. The floor was hard, cold, and unwelcoming, but I would have chosen the unforgiving floor over my inevitable confrontation with Nico any day. However, this is Nico we are talking about. If his past behaviors have any influence on the here, and now than there probably wasn't even going to be a confrontation. However, in favor of playing the safe side, I picked myself up off my bed on the floor, and began rounding up our supplies on my own.

Gods' of Olympus, I can see it now. Waiting for Nico to wake up so we can awkwardly pack up all of our stuff together, both in a dead silence that was full of the potential to say things that neither of us should really be focusing on when the impending doom of the mortal world was just two days away.

However, thanks to Eros, this _was_ something that I concerned me, and I know it concerns Nico is too, even if he refuses to admit it.

I quickly, and quietly began rolling up blankets that shrunk to the size of napkins, and stuffed them into our travel pack. I refilled our water canteens, and changed into my spare set of clothes. The t-shirt I was wearing smelt like Utah desert, and Nico Di Angelo. I couldn't stand that.

Once I had stuffed my dirty clothes into my back, and slung it over my shoulders, Nico finally stirred in the bed. I had avoided looking at his sleeping form all morning.

"Will." Nico muttered in his sleep.

I watched him toss, and turn in the covers on the verge of consciousness. I felt the rise, and fall of my chest as I took deep, collecting breaths. Nico said my name in his sleep. Okay, I'm sure that isn't weird. We are quest partners after all, and even if it was something romantic, Nico had said himself that what he was feeling was a result of the love potion.

I sighed, and pulled the covers from his sleeping body.

"Nico, get up. We need to get moving." Nico opened his eyes slightly, and gazed at me through sleep clouded, half lidded eyes. Before I knew it, his hands reached out, and pulled me into bed with him. I blushed loudly as his limps wrapped themselves around my hips, and torso.

I suddenly became angry, and placed the flat of my palms on his face, and my feet on his stomach, and shoved him off me. Nico gave a strangled cry before falling off the bed. His eyes widened in surprise, and his clawed for a hold on the bed. Not finding one, he fell to the cold floor, taking all his blankets, and sheets down with him.

I scurried off the bed, my chest becoming labored. Nico's head popped up on the other side of the room. His hair stuck up in fluffy, black tuffs of bed head, and his face wore an angry, and confused expression.

"What. The. Fuck. Will-" I grabbed a pillow to my left in anger, and launched it directly at his stupid face.

"You fucking listen to me Nico Di Angelo." I said in a low, menacing tone. Nico's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open in shock. I'm usually a pretty patient person, and rarely cursed, but love potion or not, I will NOT be toyed with.

"I don't give a fuck if you are 'suffering' from these potion induced feelings!" I yelled, and walked around the bed to talk to Nico directly. He was still on the floor, gapping at me in shock.

"My feelings happen to be real. And I promise you, however lost, and confused this potion is making you, it's a hell of a lot worse for me!" I yelled gesturing to myself.

"You are not allowed to play with me. You can't kiss me, and push me away, and rip me heart out, and than think I'm willing to get my 'sleepy cuddle' on with you not even eight hours later!" I gestured wildly, and Nico began moving backward toward the wall behind him.

"I'm going to finish this rant now, because I will acknowledge that this potion makes you feel confusing things, and I get it. I understand, but do NOT think that that is a liable excuse to have your way with me throughout this trip." I finished. I was deprived of oxygen from all the yelling, and my chest heaved up, and down. I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Get up." I told Nico. "We need to go." Nico bit his lip, and nodded. I wondered if Nico wasn't so used to hiding his feelings if he would cry. I never wanted Nico to cry. Ever, but I'm a person too, dammit.

"Will." Nico said standing up. "You know I'm... I'm sorry, Will. I know it's hard for you, and I'll try to contain myself." I gazed at him. A small part of me wanted to say, _ **"No, don't hold back. Hug me. Cuddle me. Kiss me. Love me."**_ But I didn't want love potion induced Nico. I wanted the real Nico, with his real feelings.

"I know. Let's just get to that pawn shop." Nico nodded, and grabbed his already packed bag, and his jacket, and followed me out the door.

 

~!~

"This is.... unimpressive." I muttered. The all mighty Door to Death, was misted as a run down, cheap, dirty pawn shop that sat just off the Vegas strip. Nico nodded in agreement next to me.

"Uh, what is that smell? I might throw up." Nico said, and gagged a little for effect. I laughed, and pretended I didn't see Nico blush at my positive reaction.

"Well." I muttered, stepping up to the shop, and pushing on the door. It was a bit big for it's frame, and I flinched as the bottom of the door scrapped across the floor while I opened it.

"Princes of the Underworld first." I said smartly. Nico rose his eyebrows, and gave me a very Nico like grin, and walked past me. That. That right there was a very large reason I fell for the son of Hades. I smiled, and stepped into the dank shop after him. 

"I never thought someplace could look so terrible," Nico muttered. "and I've been through Tartarus." I didn't even need to voice an opinion for Nico to know that I whole-heartedly agreed with him. Nico made his way through the pawn shop that was reek with toys, tinkers, machines, guitars, and broken drum sets. Finally, we managed to work our way to the front counter. Which shouldn't be called a 'front' counter at all, because it was shoved in the very back of the store. 

A plum, women in her mid forties sat on a high stool at the counter. Her long finger nails sailed across a horribly outdated computer. She had those plastic, fake nails that made _'click, clack'_ sounds as she typed.  

"Excuse me." Nico said. "We need passage into the Underworld." The women scowled at being interrupted by what I was sure was very important work.

"Fare?" She asked in a creepy, old voice that gave me the heeby jeebies.

Nico sighed, and twisted his ring off of his finger, and slamming it down dramatically on the counter. I almost laughed at how serious he was being. The women looked down at the ring, and up at Nico.

"Right this way." She said, allowing her body to slid off her high stool, and she shuffled out from behind the counter. Nico quickly snatched his ring up, and slid it back onto his hand.

"This way! This way! Don't touch anything! I have Hephaestus surveillance, so no sticky fingers either!" Nico snorted. 

"As if I would want any of this trash." The women scowled, but said nothing. Probably not wanting to mouth off to her boss's son. We eventually came to an empty room. The women reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a golden key. She shuffled over to a closet door, and turned the key once before opening the door. 

"In you go young prince, and demigod!" She snarled. Nico walked into the dark closet, and disappeared in the darkness. I hesitated. I looked behind me, at the blaring bright sun that shone into the shop through dirty windows, and the world of light behind me. I than compared it to the underworld void that was waiting ahead. 

"In you go demigod!" She repeated. 

Now that I thought about it, I am a son of Apollo. I probably wouldn't do well in the Underworld. A voice in the back of my head said, _Nico put up with the world of light for you, and you won't venture into the dark for him?_  

That made me feel a bit guilty, but I couldn't find the strength in my legs to propel myself into the literal doorway to the Underworld. 

"I said, In you go demigod!" The women snarled, and grabbed my wrist. Pulling me toward the closet. 

"No! Wait! I've been giving it some thought, ya' know? I just don't really think this is a good-" 

"Shut up, and go!" I was thrown into the all consuming darkness that lay in this women's utility closet. 

 

~!~

"Where the hell were you?" Nico demanded. "I've been waiting for twenty minutes!" He yelled. I groaned, and spat out clumps of dry, tasteless dirt from my face first fall into the Underworld. 

"I wasn't even two minutes behind you." I groaned. Nico shrugged. 

"Time is weird in the Underworld." I groaned again. Just what I need. More weird. These last three days have been nothing but, weird, weird, weird.

"We will start at my father's palace." Nico said pointing into the distance. The underworld was a dark place indeed, but oddly enough the darkness didn't hinder my vision. The sky was black, the sun was black, the clouds were gray, the rolling hills in the distance were a dark gray color, and everything looked like it was shrouded in night.

"It's so weird not being in the sunlight." I commented. Nico smiled, a genuine, happy smile.

"Yeah. Isn't it kinda nice?" Nico said. I noticed that in the short amount of time we had been here, Nico looked refreshed. His sunken eyes had lightened, his sickly pale skin looked less like paste, and more like pale moonlight. His black hair looked less dark, and all consuming, and he looked more like a regular kid. A regular kid of the Underworld.

"It's definitely something." I muttered. Nico took a deep breath as if he was smelling a field of flowers, and wasn't actually two hundred yards from the river Styx.

"We are gonna have to ask my father to see the souls immigration records from the past few days." Nico said as he began to make his way down the hill, and toward the river. I groaned. Great. Let's add it to the list. What do we have so far?

Nico forced me to hitch a ride with a mortal college student.

I blew up a water hydra for some old dude in a donut shop.

I had to hand crank a hundred year old truck.

I followed a map drawn by what looked like a two year old for three hours.

I had to Nico away from death's door.

My crush was given a love potion to make him fall in love with me. Hooray.

Except, not hooray because now he is confused.

And I am also confused.

So at least we are confused together.

Then, dirty pawn shop lady threw me into her utility closet.

Now I have to meet my weirdly requited love's father.

All in less than seventy two hours.

I was so busy wallowing in my recent events that I didn't even take notice to the harbor that sat upon the river Styx. It was made of, surprise, black wood. It stretched partway into the water, and a spindly boat sat off it's end. An equally spindly man stood at it's hull, leaning on a thin stick that stuck out of the river.

The entire ordeal didn't look safe at all.

"This way." Nico said, motioning to the boat. He climbed into the boat, and took a seat like it was the most normal thing to do. I grimaced at the boat, and lingered on the dock.

"It's safe." Nico said as if he was confirming my fears.

"For dead people." I muttered, but climbed in anyway. I sat next to Nico, and as far away from the creepy boat guy as I could. He looked just like the grim reaper. A tall, thin, skeletal figure, but he held a long stick-like paddle instead of a scythe.

"To my dad's palace." Nico said. The figure grunted, and began moving the thin stick, and the boat lurched down the river.

The river itself looked like it was made of a ghostly green goop, and mist. Things floated in the river past us. A huge array of things such as watches, rings, toys, car keys, teddy bears, dolls, books, and anything else I could possible imagine. I even saw things that looked like memories. Small video loops that showed in the river's surface like Iris messages.

I saw a video of a women dancing at a wedding with her husband.

I saw a little girl climbing a huge pine tree, and being overwhelmed by the view.

I saw a boy meet his idol.

I saw a father hold his daughter.

I watched the videos until my attention was caught as a picture floated by. I had to do a double take.

It looked just like the picture of my mother, and myself. The only picture I had of me, and my mother. In fact it was the exact photo! I would know it anywhere. It was taken when I was five years old, right before I was taken to camp Half-Blood. My mother, and I are at a beach in the photo. My mother held me in her arms, and was lifting me up toward the sun. Her face was the picture example of bliss, and younger me was caught in the moment of a fit of giggles. It was the only photo I had of my mother, and I. Or, it _was_ the onlypicture of my mother, and I until I had lost in the the war of Gaea. I gasped, and reach my hand into the river. Determined to grab my lost photo.

"Don't!" Nico exclaimed pulling me back into the boat. I fell back against him with an 'oomph!'

"But I saw something! Something I lost!" I said, pulling away from him, and reaching toward the river once more. Nico pulled me back once more.

"Yes! That's what the river does! It collects things from people's life, but if you take something from the river, you are stuck in the Underworld forever." Nico explained. I looked longingly at my lost photo that had already traveled downstream, and out of my reach.

"Do you see things?" I asked settling back down into the boat. My body was filled with an odd sense of remorse. Nico nodded, but kept his eyes fixed forward.

"What do you see?" I implored.

"Things I lost. Things I will lose. Things I desire." Nico said. I decided not to push the topic any further, but that decision was mostly based on the fact that the boat began to pull up toward a dark, looming, mansion.

"Thanks Jules." Nico said climbing out of the boat. The figure grunted. I scurried out of the boat muttering my thanks, and onto the dark grass. Nico dug through his pocket, and tossed a gold coin toward the figure, who caught it easily, and began to work his way back toward the dock.

"He's also my chauffeur." Nico said with humor. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course he is." I said with affection. I watched as Nico's eyes widened, and he blushed. I tried not to smile, but it was hard. I had to tell myself that it was just the potion acting up.

Before I knew it, Nico had stepped closer to me, and gently grabbed me hand. A shock ran through me, and my brow furrowed, and I opened his mouth to protest.

"Wait, Will. Just.... hear me out." Nico said, allowing his fingers to fiddle with mine. I was still confused, but closed my mouth to allow him to explain.

"I... I don't know if this is the potion." Nico admitted. "It feels so real. I feel like I genuinely-" Nico looked away, and blushed brightly. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I feel like I genuinely want to be with you." Nico said.

My eyes widened, and my mind raced. I thought about how I had made the first move back in the hotel room, only to be refused, and hurt by Nico. I didn't know if I could take that again.

"Listen Nico." I said pulling my hand away, but gently. "It would be stupid of me to try, and deny that I like you. I do. A lot. I want to be with you, and hold your hand, and kiss you, and cuddle with you, and some day maybe more." I said the last part with a blush on my face, and a small cough at the end of the sentence.

"But with this potion, I don't think even you know your own feelings. I think that you need time to yourself. The potion should wear off in a few days, and we can talk about us when you are feeling your own feelings again, and if the feelings are mutual, than we can try us." I said. Nico watched me with a small smile on his face, and his eyes uncharacteristically hopeful.

"Us?" Nico asked.

"Us." I confirmed.

"Nico?" A voice came to our left. Nico turned around toward the voice. A women half jogged toward us, lifting up a bright purple dress so it didn't hinder her movement. She was young, about twenty five looking. Her long black hair was piled up in a complicated twist on her head. Her hair was spotted with colorful flowers, and gems. Her face was small, but beautiful. She wore clean, white boots that peaked out from her dress as she raced toward us.

"Persephone?" Nico asked.

"Nico, does you father know you are here?" Persephone, Nico's step mother, asked him. Nico shuffled a bit, and I watched the interaction between the two. Persephone seemed nice enough, but I sensed a bit of hostility that radiated off of her in Nico's presence. Which is understandable considering Hades must have had an affair in order for Nico to even be alive.

"No. But we need to speak to him." Persephone sighed, and turned back toward the house, gathering her skirts in her arms, and began trudging back toward the castle.

"You best come with me than." She said. Nico shot me a glance, and I shrugged. Together we followed her up the hill, and toward Hades palace.

~!~

"Hades!" Persephone yells into the throne chamber. A moment passed before a burst of black, and dark blue mist appears, only to reform together to create Hades physical body.

"Dad!" Nico exclaimed. I thought for a moment that Nico was going to hug his father, which is a weird thing for a demigod to do, but instead he dropped to one knee, and bowed before Hades. I never bowed to Apollo. The thought made me want to puke.

"Nico." His father said. "Stand." He said with a bit of humor. Nico quickly stood, and realigned his sword on his hip.

"What can I do for you, Nico." His father asked, sitting on his throne behind him. Now, I often try not to let the interior decoration habits of the gods intimidate me, but Hades took the whole, "God of the Underworld" thing a bit far. Looking around the throne room, made Nico look like he was wearing a bright pink, and yellow jumper, and had neon orange hair.

Hades sat on a throne of human bones, all collected into the shapes of skeletons reaching desperately toward the ceiling. I had the feeling it was to signify how souls want out of the Underworld. Much like me. The walls were a void black, and gave me the impression that they were going to swallow me whole. From the ceilings hung chandeliers with skulls strung from them.

However, the most intimidating thing of all was the giant three-headed dog that curled at Hades feet. He breathed heavily, and soundly. Clearly not bothered by Nico, or I's presence.

"We need to see the Soul immigration records from the past three days." Nico said. Hades raised one eyebrow, and leaned forward. One elbow on his knee.

"Does this have anything to do with Apollo's missing dagger?" Hades asked. I almost asked how he knew Apollo's dagger was missing, but the entire western hemisphere has been shrouded in daylight for the past three days, and I knew that was a stupid question.

Nico nodded, and Hades sat back in his throne.

"I suppose I can help out my favorite half mortal son." Hades said.

~!~

 

"Oh my god. This is going to take years." I said. The records room was at least three times as large as the throne room was, and from wall to wall, bookshelves stacked upon each other contained nothing but scrolls, from top to bottom.

"This is the past three days?" Nico asked. Shocked laced in his voice.

"Well yes. But we can narrow it down from freshly dead spirits, or 'new arrivals' if you will. I doubt a fresh spirit stole a gods dagger." At Hades words over half of the scrolls disappeared form the room.

"And we can narrow that down to spirits carrying contraband." Another half of the half of scrolls disappeared. Only a quarter of the scrolls were left, but that was still a huge amount.

"And we can take that, and narrow it down to spirits carrying godly contraband." and suddenly there were three scrolls. Hades gathered them with satisfaction, and laid them on an old library table near the front of the room.

"Good luck boys." Hades said, disappearing in a poof of black, and blue smoke. I grinned. Hades was a creepy guy for sure, but he was an alright guy. He helped Nico when he was in trouble, and all I had was a bottomless credit card.

....

Well I suppose I can't complain either.

I take my seat, and grab one of the two remaining scrolls, as Nico had already gotten started. I thought it was going to be easy, but each scroll contained about five hundred profiles, and I had to read each one for contents pertaining about the dagger.

Nico, and I were there for hours.

"Will!" Nico yelled. I set my scroll down, and leaned over to look at his. In his hands, he held a profile of a spirit. There was a picture. To my surprise, it was a girl. A teenage girl spirit that looked no older than seventeen. She wore a grim expression in the photo, and to her left was her information. It contained stuff like, "Reason for death." and how old she was when she died.

"Look here." Nico said pointing to a small section of info.

"Located in third layer." I read from the text. Nico nodded.

"That's where we will find her." He said. I shook my head.

"How do you know this girl took the dagger?" I asked. Nico rolled his eyes, and pointed to the girl in the photo once more.

"Look. Here." He said pointing to her chest. A leather strap was run across her chest in an X patter, and contained in the center of it was a small, solid gold dagger.

**I would just like everybody to know that, at five pm today, while I was sitting in my dorm room doing my final revisions on this chapter, my accidentally deleted the entire thing. I than slowly closed my computer, and laid face down on the floor for the next hour. However, I got up, and rewrote the chapter, (all 4,108) words. It took me four hours. However, I am an adult, AND THIS SHIT HAPPENS, AND I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT LIKE AN ADULT. DON'T GROW UP KIDS.**

 


	6. I need some help with story development

**Hi! If you're hoping this is an update, sorry. You'll have to wait a few more hours for the next chapter. But it will be out tonight.**

**Anyway,**

**I'm in kind of a creative rut. Like, I know how this fic is going to end, and what not, but I have five chapters left, and I need some filler stuff. I've been going through Greek myths trying to get some ideas of a couple shenanigans Will, and Nico could get themselves into, so I thought while I was searching I could ask you guys what you want to see happen in the story.**

**I kinda saw this as a good chance to connect personally with my readers, so let me know in the comments or pm message me any ideas you might have, or directions you would like to see with the story line, or with Will, and Nico's budding relationship.**

**I'm counting on you guys!**

**The faster i get inspired, the better (and faster) I write, so give me your 2 cents!**

**~Miyo**


	7. Chapter 6

**Okay, let me start off this chapter with a little rant, because I know how you guys know how much I love them. Personally, I don't think fanfiction authors get enough credit. Like, if you look at the amazingly high pedestal that Fandom artists are put on, and than you compare it to the fanfiction authors, I think we are really taken for granted. For example, this story is cross posted. It's available on AO3, Wattpad, and FF.net. I try to update every day, and if I don't you can be sure I am at least working on a chapter every day, and between the three sites, I think I have about twenty five comments. And writing take a lot out of authors psychologically. So we need the mental, and moral support. It's not really enough to just see that, 'Oh, a thousand people read my story, that's nice and all, but only about 1 out of every hundred of you left a comment. Did I do a shitty job?' Do I have any fellow authors reading my work? Can I have some love on this topic, because I am extremely upset about it. I mean, who is there to encourage your denial when your fav. character dies in your fandom? Or when you finish the final episode of your favorite show? Or book series, like Percy Jackson? That's right kitties. We are. Me. The gay FanFiction author who writes about gay boys even though I literally cannot stand to look at a penis to save my life. Rant over. Enjoy, loves.**

 

"You'll need supplies." Hades said. I tucked the withered scroll that contained the photo of the spirit thief, and tucked it under my arm. All this trouble, and it happens to be the work of a teenage spirit, probably bent on revenge on my father. She would probably have to get in line.

"You're right." Nico said. He was haunched over a map of the underworld, and his father was across the table from him studying it also. Nico pointed at various spots on the map, and muttered something to his father. This was the first time I had seen them so close. Close as in, side by side close. Nico shared his fathers inky black hair, and pale, ghostly gray eyes. I had once heard a story that Nico looked like a full blooded Italian boy. I tried to imagine it. Nico Di Angelo with light olive skin, and bright, green eyes full of life. Ripe with useless facts about pirates, and Mythomagic.

I shook my head. That image of Nico seemed impossible to form. The boy that stood in front of me was completely different from the one Percy, and Annabeth had described for me during one of out long days working on the _Argo II._  


The boy standing in front of me wore black skinny jeans that looked a bit big on him, but were held up by a belt, and his black sword on his hip. He wore a shirt that was a dark gray color, and hung loosely over his hips. On his shoulders, a dark leather jacket hung, and a silver skull ring sat on his right hand. His dark, untamable hair stuck up in stiff puffs on his head.

He looked like a boy who would scuff and say, _"Get away from me, kid."_ If somebody tried to talk to him about Mythomagic or Pairates.

"Will?" I was pulled from my thoughts, and noticed Nico was handing me a black leather bag. I grabbed it, and opened it. Peering inside it's dark fabric walls.

I pulled out a small silver dagger, a bottle of water, a small thermos, and a ring.

"The dagger has the power to dissipate spirits. Use it wisely, and return it to Nico after the mission. Only myself, and my children should hold that kind of power." I nodded, and slipped the dagger onto my belt. My first weapon. I wasn't usually one for carrying weapons, and other tools of war. I was more of a peace loving guy.

"The bottle of water never empties." Hades said. "You cannot drink or eat anything in the underworld or it will trap you here forever. That will sustain you until your mission succeeds." I thanked the Gods for Nico's dad, which was something I never thought I would do. However, I cannot imagine going through the next two days without at least water.

"The thermos will contain that dagger once it is retrieved." Hades continued. "Once it is back in the hands of Apollo, or one of his children," he said gesturing to me. "It will begin to restore it's power as key to the sun chariot. I can't have that type of light unbalancing the Underworld. Keep it safely contained."

"And finally, that ring is an exact match to the one I gave Nico for his thirteenth birthday. It doesn't have Nico's rings powers, but it will allow you to communicate with each other should you get separated." Hades shot me a look that said, _Don't let that happen._ I slid the ring onto my finger, and looked up. I never thought i would have the urge to hug the God of the Underworld. The only thing I could muster was a heartfelt thank you.

Hades nodded.

"Nico." Persephone entered the room from the arch doorway behind me, and I jumped in shock from her sudden appearance. I'll never get over the residence of Underworld's ability to sneak out of nowhere.

"I have clothes for Will." Persephone said, holding up a small pile of clothes. I glanced at Nico, who nodded, and I left the room following his stepmother.

"Wow." I said taking the clothes from her grasp. The fabric of the clothes was a base white color, but the longer you looked at them you would notice that they changed color. The colors that they turned reminded me of forest groves, and flowers.

"It reminds me of home. Being a child of Light you understand this." Persephone says, glancing at the fabric in longing. I can only imagine being stuck down here, away from the sun for half a year. I would express my homesickness any way I could also.

"I love Hades, you know." Persephone said suddenly. I looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting her declaration.

"The stories the mortals tell often makes people believe that Hades abducted me." Persephone carried on. "But it's not the truth." I could tell that I had a confused look on my face.

"It is true that Hades kidnapped me, but in my seven days in the Underworld he was a complete gentleman. I was given my own quarters. He made me special mortal food I could eat, and he gave me a beautiful garden. I soon fell in love with him." Persephone admitted. "However, one day, despite his warning, I ate six pomegranate seeds. In order to make me happy, Hades struck a deal with my father, and mother only forcing me to stay in the Underworld one month for each seed I ate." Persephone said.

"But you hate Nico." I said, pulling the color changing shirt over my head.

"Only out of jealously." Persephone muttered. Her eyes softened. "It's true that affairs are common among the gods. It's hard to love only one person for all eternity. I have no idea how Hera does it." Persephone admitted. I wanted to hug her, or comfort her in some way, but I knew that was overstepping my bounds.

"It seems we are both fools, loving creatures of the Underworld." Persephone said with a bit of humor in her voice. I felt heat creep up my cheeks, but I didn't deny it. When I finally turned to face Persephone she had already gone from the room. I sighed, and stepped back into the parlor where Nico was speaking with his dad.

"You have feelings for him?" Hades demanded.

Nico fiddled with the hilt of his sword, not looking his father in the eyes. My body immediately backed away from the scene, and I hid behind the door frame. I felt bad for ease dropping on their father son conversation, but my legs couldn't find the will to walk out when things were getting interesting.

"I-I don't know." Nico admitted. My heart dropped from my chest, and onto the cold floor.

"This is not like with Percy." Hades admitted. "When you were twelve years old every other sentence out of your mouth was about Percy Jackson. It was 'Percy this, Percy that.'" Hades said with a small laugh. "I wished I weren't immortal so I could end my suffering." Nico blushed, and grumbled something under his breath.

"But with this one it is almost like something is holding you back." Hades said. Nico nodded.

"Cupid forced a love potion on me." Nico said. His fathers eyebrows rose into his dark hair line.

"Love potion?" He asked. Nico nodded.

"Nico, I don't-" before he could finish I decided to come around the corner.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. Hades shut his mouth, and cleared his throat. "Like my new threads?" I asked Nico. Nico smiled, and nodded curtly.

"Are you ready to go finally, or should you have tea with my stepmother also?" Nico asked in a sarcastic way.

"Keep it up, Death boy." I said. "It's just adding to your buildup of recovery time when we get back into camp." I finished smugly.

"Death boy?" Hades said, eyeing Nico out of the corner of his eye. Nico blushed.

"Long story. Let's go Solace." Nico said, grabbing my hand, and pulling me toward the nearest shadow in the room.

"I wish you the best of luck, son." Hades said. Nico smiled a genuine smile at his father, and for a moment I was a bit jealous of how natural their relationship seemed. Nico didn't reply, but instead melted into the shadow.

 

 

I stumbled out of the shadow, and face planted the soil for the second time that day. I tried to ignore how easily Nico stepped out of the swirling vortex of darkness. In the few seconds we had been in the shadow portal, I felt like all the light that existed in my body had been snuffed out.

"You'll get used to it, Sunshine." Nico said patting my shoulder. I grunted from my comfy place in the dirt.

"Where are we?" I groaned pulling myself into a standing position. Nico glanced around a bit before answering.

"The fields of punishment." He said. I shivered at the name. "This is the place where people who committed crimes against the gods were sentenced." Nico explained in a calm voice like he was suggesting we should hit up a Starbucks on our way back to Camp Half-Blood.

"What....What kinds of things are they forced to do?" I asked. Nico turned to me, and for a second I thought he was going to say, _'I'm glad you asked.'_ but instead he continued to scan the landscape.

"Imagine your worst fear. Now imagine it being ten times worse. Now imagine living the fear out for all eternity." I blanched at his explanation, and decided that any future questions would probably be better left unasked, and unanswered.

Nico seemed to notice my discomfort, and laughed. "If you think this is bad, you should see Tartarus." I could tell Nico was trying to make a joke of his experience, but I saw something in his eyes glaze over, and I knew that was something he would never get over.

I once believe that anything could be healed. Weather it be a broken bone, or a broken heart. But after watching Nico for a year or so, I was beginning to think that some things in this world would never meant to be healed.

Nico kept looking around the empty field. I almost asked him what he was looking for until he suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Found him!" Nico exclaimed, and before I could protest we dissolved into shadows.

 

I managed not to fall this time, so that's a plus. It was a big plus actually, because Nico had shadow traveled us to the very edge of a huge, frozen pit. I released a totally manly screech, and wheeling my arms backward trying to propel my body away from the huge hole in the ground.

"Adonis!" Nico exclaimed, a fake smile stretched across his face. I peered over the edge of the frozen hole. Inside, a man sat in the middle, chained down my thick, frozen chains. The entire inside of the hole looked like his own personal snow storm. Icicles hung from his arms, his skin was pale white, and his finger nails were an icy blue.

"A c-c-child of Hades." The man spat, his teeth chattering a bit. Nico nodded.

"Guilty." He said. "But I'm not coming to you as a child of the Underworld today." Nico said taking the the scroll out of his pack.

"I'm looking for information. The location of this spirit." Nico said, showing Adonis the scroll. Adonis let loose a bitter laugh, and spit on the ground in front of him. It froze mid air, and hit the hard ground with a small, _'pink.'_  


"Why would I tell you anything?" Adonis snarled. Nico sighed, and drew his sword. Clearly not feeling up to playing Adonis's tough guy game.

"Because if you don't, I'm vanquishing you to Tartarus." Nico said in a threatening voice. Adonis threw his head back, and let out a loud, hearty laugh.

"Oh, Gods!" He said. "That's the best thing I've heard in centuries, kid." Adonis said. "Please by all means. Release me from this literal frozen Hell." Nico scowled, and returned his sword to his hip. I had a feeling that Hades wouldn't appreciate us letting Adonis go very much.

"Adonis." I muttered, rolling the name on my tongue, trying to remember his crime.

"You slept with Persephone!" I said once it suddenly came to me. Adonis snapped his eyes away from Nico, and glared at me.

"Watch it, Son of Apollo." He threatened. "If I get out of these chains-"

"But you won't!" I interrupted, laughing a bit. "Got a bit heated with the Queen of the Underworld, so Hades decided to cool you off." I said, a smirk growing on my face. "For good."

"Why you little shit." Adonis growled.

"Look." Nico interrupted our personal stand off. "We will make you a deal, Adonis." Nico said. I looked at him.

"We will?" I asked. Nico nodded.

"We will."

"What kind of deal?" Adonis said, glancing at Nico in suspicion.

"If you agree to tell us what you know about that spirit, we will switch places with you. Inhabit your icy prison while you give up your intel." Nico said.

I wanted to throw Nico's ass down into that pit for suggesting such a thing.

"And what are your terms?" Adonis asked. Well, despite sleeping with the Queen of the Underworld, this guy wasn't a complete idiot.

"You have ten mortal minutes, and you have to swear on the river styx to return to your prison once we are done with you." Adonis seemed to ponder Nico's offer.

"Ten minutes isn't a lot." Adonis said. Nico scowled.

"Perhaps you would prefer five?" Nico warned.

"You're not really in a position to be battering." Adonis said. Nico's glare hardened, but he didn't argue back. Adonis seemed to ponder the terms for a bit before nodded.

"Alright King of Ghosts. You have yourself a deal."

"Swear." Nico warned. Adonis groaned.

"I solemnly swear on the river Styx that I will take no more than ten mortal minutes explaining all that I know, and will return to my eternal punishment when given the word." Adonis said. He raised his right hand, which was hung limply from the frozen chain.

"By?" Nico asked. Adonis groaned again. He seemed a lot like a teenager. _How could a girl like Persephone fall for this jerk?_ I wondered.

"Gods, you're quite the little perfectionist. When given the word by Nico Di Angelo, Prince of the Underworld." Nico smiled in satisfaction, and suddenly I was frozen.

Styx magic worked instantly, and suddenly Adonis was looking down at us from the pit, and Nico and I were huddling together at the bottom of the frozen hole. The winter storm howling around us. I watched as my skin instantly turned pale, and blue. Ice began to crawl over my skin, and I felt my lips freeze over. The only heat I had was Nico clinging desperately for heat at my side.

"N-n-n-n-now tell u-u-us what you k-k-know." Nico stuttered.

Adonis stretched his freed arms over his head, and let out a relieved sigh.

"Damn, two thousand years can really do a number on the bones." He said while doing a few yoga poses.

"A-a-a-adonis." Nico warned, but he didn't sound very threatening with the cold seeping into both of us like a wet blanket.

"Hey, keep your briefs on Half-Blood." He said. "I'm getting there." He stopped his stretching, and took a seat at the corner of the frozen pit.

"Ah! Warmth again." He exclaimed. I personally didn't think that the fields of punishment were very warm temperature, or welcoming wise, but compared to the frozen temperatures in this damn pit, it was probably like a sauna.

I tried to focus on the rhythmic chittering of Nico's teeth beside me. Or were those my teeth?

"Now." Adonis said, clapping his hands together. "I'll admit, I don't know where this spirit thief of yours is at per say, but I can send you to somebody who does." Adonis said. Nico made a, 'go on' gesture.

At one point, I'm not sure when, I hauled Nico's small frame into my lap, and wrapped my arms around him. Desperate to pull warmth from anywhere, and share my own at the same time. Nico didn't complain, and it was far to cold to tell if he was blushing. I buried my face into his frosted over hair. Adonis scowled.

"Why don't you two just get a room while you are at it." He said.

"Four minutes." Nico warned.

I felt him snuggled back into me, and he turned his face up into my neck. I felt his cold nose search for heat against my carotid artery. Which is the only artery to carry blood directly from the heart, to the brain. Which could cause potential brain damage if severed or harmed in any way. Little medical fact for you in case we die.

At least somebody can say, _'Yeah, he died with his crushes face pressed up against his heart vein. Lucky bastard_.'

"Ever heard of Melinoe? " Adonis said.

"Goddess of Ghosts." Nico muttered. "Of course." Nico's hands grabbed my own, and intertwined them. He rubbed our hands together for a moment trying to create warmth.

"We should have gone there first." Nico said. Adonis nodded.

"Yeah, except she is on mortal Doors of Death duty after the Gaea incident." I could hardly focus on what Adonis was sprouting with the distraction of the bone numbing cold, and Nico Di Angelo holding my hand for an extended length of time.

"So we would need a quick ride to the House of Hades." Nico muttered. I had heard stories of Nico, and the groups adventures in the old temple, and I wondered if things had settled down there since we had won the war.

"Yeah, and nowadays only one person had instant access to Melinoe. Her personally appointed servant. A goddess that was cast out of Tartarus by her own father, who was overcome with humiliation."

"Achyls." Nico muttered. "She is working for Melinoe now?"

"Hard to find a job when you got overpowered by a demigod." Adonis said with a shrug.

"And how can we f-f-f-find Achyls?" Nico said, the cold beginning to turn his black hair an odd blue color.

"Do you remember the old mortal saying about somebody, 'drowning in their sorrows?" Achyls said, stretching out on the warm stretch of rock above us like a cat.

"It's literal." Nico said. Throughout the entire exchange, I hadn't uttered one word. I didn't know where Nico found the strength to keep opening his mouth, and carrying out an actual conversation with this guy.

Adonis nodded once more. "It was once a prophecy for some hero in the old times, who was trying to recover his wife's lost sole. Too do so, he had to face his fears. His misery. So he literally drowned in it to lead him straight to Achyls."

I figured Adonis's time must be running out very quickly now, but Nico didn't seem to concerned about it.

"The river Cocytus." Nico muttered. "Or the river of Lamentation. The eternal river of misery." Nico tilts his head all the way back to look at me. I make eye contact with him

"I know where that is." Nico muttered. "Let's go." I nodded, and Nico turned back at Adonis, who seemed to be enjoying his ten minutes of freedom.

"Adonis I, Nico Di Angelo, Prince of the Underworld, hereby vanquish you back to your frozen prison."

Adonis groaned from his position, and instantly the frozen storm was gone, and Adonis was chained to the bottom of the stormy pit once more. Before Nico, and I could even rematerialize back on the surface, Nico devolved himself and I into the shadows of the underworld.

 

I like to think I was getting a hang of the whole shadow travel thing, but I still stumbled ungracefully out of the shadow, and Nico landed on the balls of his feet lightly beside me. I haunched over my knees, and tried to catch my breath.

"Will." Nico said, his voice seemed strained. I looked up, and instantly knew what he was referring to.

In front of us stretched the River of Cocytus. It was like nothing I had ever laid eyes upon. It was nothing like the river Styx, which was an intimidating green color. Instead, this river was devoid of all color, and looked extremely shallow.

It's banks were made of hard, gray, clay bricks instead of dark mud. Gray candles floated on the water, each lit with a gray flame. The banks seemed shallow, but dipped into a V that met at the middle of the river. But what shocked me most was that strung along the shallow banks of the river were spirits. Each lying motionless, and could be seen for miles.

"They are spirits, damned to the river of Cocytus." Nico explained. "A form of punishment, forcing spirits to relive their past misery forever." I swallowed a growing lump in my throat. Reliving a life seemed horrible. Especially if you could only relive the misery filled parts of it.

"Will." Nico grabbed my hand. For once, without a valid reason besides to comfort me. I swallowed back tears of fear that pricked at my eyes, and had to remind myself that it was only the potion. After it wore off, Nico would go back to his sarcastic, touch adverse self.

"Will, I would say that you don't have to do this, but I'm afraid you do." Nico said. The river radiated emotions of sadness, and despair.

"Nico." I sobbed, the tears spilling out over my eyes. "Nico, it's hopeless. What's the point? What if we never even find it?" I said, sobbing into my shirt. Nico dropped my hands, and pulled my face down toward him. He was only about 5"2, which I would have laughed at if I wasn't completely overcome with despair.

Sobs worked their way threw my body, and Nico placed his lips lightly over mine. It was a ghost of the kiss we had shared the day before, but this one did something. It gave me hope. It gave me hope that perhaps this quest wasn't damned to fail, and it gave me hope for the world, and hope for myself, and hope for Nico, and hope for us.

"We'll get through this." Nico whispered. I felt myself nod, and I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. He didn't smell like death like everybody back home said. He smelt like old paper, and pomegranates. I inhaled deeply, and stored the sensation to memory.

Nico pulled back, and let his lingering thumb stroke across my cheek. "We'll get through this." Nico said again.

"Yeah." I said. "We will." I knew that my emotions were being caused by the river, and I wondered why Nico wasn't being affected by it also. Maybe it was because he was a child of the Underworld. Maybe it was because he has experienced far worse despair than any that the river can cause. Or maybe he is simply stronger than me.

Nico grasped my hand once more, and led me to the bank of the river.

"You can't fight whatever you feel in the river." Nico said. "You have to let it overtake you. You have to drown in it. Drown in your misery, or we won't be led to Achlys. We will become prisoners of the river forever." Nico explained calmly, but his grip on my hand tightened.

"Don't fight okay? And never let go of my hand." I briefly wondered if Nico wanted me to never let go of him because he was worried for me, or worried for himself.

"The river is going to show you things. Whisper in your ear. It will show you your past, and things you fear of the future." I nodded, and rubbed my thumb over the back of his palm in return.

I pushed the though of the love potion out of my mind. Right now, I need Nico as a pillar of support. As a partner. Too ground me to the mortal world, and to remind me that the quest needs to succeed.

"I get it." I said. "Don't fight." Nico turned to me.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready." I confirmed.

 

Time in the river was both incredibly fast, and incredibly slow. My life flashed before my eyes, but only the parts that made me want to curl up into a little ball, and weep for all eternity. I tried to keep my ground. I forced my eyes to stay open, and I watched Nico. His eyes were wide open, but unseeing. His face was contoured into a look of pure misery, and pain. I wanted to reach out to him, but I remembered his words. _Don't fight it._  


So against my better judgement, I squeezed Nico's hand as my final confirmation, and closed my eyes. Letting my memories, and fears wash over me.

 

" _Mommy loves you, William." A women sat in front of me. Long, Blond hair tumbled down her back in lose curls, and her eyes were a dark brown color, contrasting her bright yellow hair._  


_"Mommy loves you. So, so much." The women reached up, and flicked a tear from her eye. The ceilings were bright, and the walls were a sterile white. Probably a hospital._

_"They say I can't take care of you, but I know I can." The women said. Her face was one of determination, and her eyes held enough love to protect me for the rest of my life. What happened to this women? Why wasn't she with me right now?_

_The women continued to look down on me, and I could feel the love radiating off of her like a furnace. This was a happy memory, I thought as i laid in the women's arms, basking in the warmth of her love._

_Suddenly, the women's grip loosened, and her eyebrows knitted together. She looked down at me, and opened her mouth, and than closed it. Than opened it again._

_"Hey." She exclaimed. "Hey, who's baby is this?" She asked loudly, extending me away from away from her body. She tried to climb out of her hospital bed, but IV's, and oxygen tubes held her firmly in place._

_"Hello? Nurse?" My mother yelled. A women rushed into the room, and pressed her hand down firmly on my mothers shoulder, pushing her back into the bed._

_"Mrs. Solace, you need to rest." My mother rolled her eyes. When she did that, she looked like a teenager. She held me out to the nurse as if handing her a bunched up blanket that needed washing._

_"Somebody left their baby here. Please find his mother, she must be very worried." The nurses eyes softened in sympathy, and she gently took me out of my mothers hands. The baby me began to cry senselessly as the nurse took me into her arms._

_"Of course Mrs. Solace." the nurse said gently. "You're husband is here." The nurse offered. My mother snorted, and rearranged her pillows before laying back down._

_"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not married, and please get that baby out of here. I need to sleep. Why do I feel so tired? I'm never having children." She mumbled before drifting off to sleep._

_The nurse sighed. She didn't bother telling my mother that she had just given birth to a baby boy, and her husband of one year was indeed out in the waiting room, ready to receive his half mortal son._

_"Did it happen again?" Apollo asked as the nurse carried me out of the room, and gently placed me into my godly fathers arms. The nurse nodded. Apollo looked pained as he glanced into her room._

_"It must be hard." The nurse said. "Having a wife with early onset alzheimer's." Apollo nodded, and held me closer to his chest. The nurse suddenly looked awkward, and excused herself to begin filling out paperwork._

_"Don't worry." Apollo whispered to me gently. "I know a place where you will be safe, and your mother doesn't have to suffer."_

 

_The scene melted away, and a new one arose. One that I remember quite well._

_"She's not going to make it, Will." Kayla said next to me. A loud explosion reverberated through the building as the war raged outside. I grew angry, and pushed her away from the medical table where our younger sister laid, an oversized arrow sticking our of her stomach, and a few more lodged in the side of her neck. She grunted, and weakly coughed up blood. A few drops splattered across my face._

_"Try harder!" I snapped. I began breaking off arrow sticks, and looking around me to find more truncates. Anything to stop the bleeding. So much blood._

_"Will." Kayla said, laying a hand on my arm gently. Stilling my actions. "She's already gone." I looked down on the makeshift hospital bed, and gazed upon the face of my younger sister, no more than ten years old. Dead. The war against Kronos continued to wage outside, and time didn't stop for her passing._

 

 

_"I'm sorry Will." Nico muttered. We stood at the edge of camp Half-Blood. The trees loomed around us, and the arch leading into the base of camp lay just before us._

_"What do you mean you're sorry?" I asked. A lump began to grow in my throat. I asked, but I knew the answer._

_"It... It wore off." Nico said, looking down at his shoes. "And I was right. I don't love you." I suppose I should have prepared myself for something like this to happen, but I never gave much thought as to how much it would hurt when it actually did occur._

_"We can still be friends right?" I said, tears spilling over my eyes as I reached for him. Nico flinched away._

_"No. I don't feel comfortable around you Will." Nico said before turning on his heels, and walking toward camp._

_"I don't think we should talk again." and Nico Di Angelo walked away from me, and back into Camp Half-Blood. I collapsed onto the ground, my hands clutching my heart. I desperately tried to stop the pain that spread through my chest._

 

"Will! Wake the fuck up!" A hand came across my face hard, and I jolted awake by the sting of Nico's slap. I sat up immediately, almost bumping heads with Nico.

"Oh thank the gods." Nico muttered, and collapsed his head against my shoulder, breathing heavily.

"I wasn't sure if the river was ever going to let you go." Nico muttered. I panted heavily, and looked around. _They were just visions from the river,_ I told myself. _Not real._ I glanced at Nico. _At least not yet_.

Nico had drug me to the bank of the river, but it wasn't where we had entered. This was a new place, and right behind us I heard a high pitched wail. I turned around to find the source of the noise.

Behind us, about a hundred feet, was Achlys. Haunched over in fetal position, with a shawl of darkness covering her deformed, and haunched body. Despite her wailing, a second voice echoed in the air.

"Why do you seek out misery? Why do you seek out me?" Achlys's second voice rang through the air, clear as a bell.

Nico scurried to his feet, and his hand rested on his sword.

"We need you to take us to see the Melinoe" Nico said. Achlys turned her face toward us, and I threw up in my mouth. Gross, right? I forced myself to swallow it, and look away. Half of her face was decomposed, with rotten tissue, and bones showing threw the gray skin, and the over half was the face of a beast. Hairy, and vicious.

"You wish to see my mistress?" She snarled. She turned her entire body toward us, and I backpedaled out of fear. Her limbs were toothpick thin, and her chest cavity was open, and wide for the world to see. Her heart barely beating, and rotting organs running at minimal pace.

"You are the son of Hades." Achlys said after a moment, and a sickening grin spread across her face. I felt Nico shiver next to me.

"Oh, mistress would pay a pretty price for your head." She said with glee, or with as much glee as the goddess of misery could muster.

"Oh yes, the mistress has forbidden me from entering my sweet home of Tartarus, but if I bring her such a glorious offering perhaps she will let me back into my sweet wails of torture." Nico began backing away, his sword arm began to shake. I reached my hand out to steady him.

"We will go with you willingly." I said, trying to will my voice to not shake. "Just take us to see Melinoe." I said. Achlys turned her hideous face toward me directly, and a shiver of fear ran though me.

"Oh, you are not needed, Son of sun God." she said, and with a quick flick of her wrist, her black shawl came away from her shoulders, and raced toward Nico.

"Will!" Nico shouted, reaching out his hand toward me as the shawl shot toward him.

"Nico!" I yelled back, but the dark shawl wrapped around his body, and began pulling him into the darkness.

"Nico! You said to never let go of my hand!" I yelled. "Don't let go." The last thing I saw was Nico's eyes full of despair as he, and Achlys disappeared into the shadows. Leaving me on bank of the River of Cocytus alone.

 

 

**Holy. Shit. What a LONG ASS CHAPTER. 6,000 WORDS! WOW. Leave a review guys. Tell me what you think! Follow me at Miyo-Nani . tumblr . com.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Had about three hours to kill today, so enjoy the next chapter a bit early. Be sure to read the authors note at the bottom, as I will be making a request. Thanks to everybody who reviewed yesterday! I loved reading them, it made me so, so, so, so happy. Enjoy.**

The darkness of Achlys's cloak suffocated him. Nico felt the soft, sheen fabric wrap around his lungs, and squeeze the air from his chest cavity. Nico's mouth was agape with shock, and he wanted to let loose an angry scream. He wanted to kick, and fight back against the minor goddess, but the material was too constricting. He felt his body traveling through the shadows of the world. Suddenly, as fast as it all happened, the fabric was gone, and Nico was dropped ten feet from the air, and hit the hard pavement with a groan.

"Great Gods of Olympus." Nico mumbled. Now he knew how Will felt.

"What in Hades domain is this, Achlys?" A low rumbled voice echoed throughout the room that Nico had found himself trapped in. He managed to lift his head and look around.

He was contained in the seance room of the House of Hades. A round room used by head priestesses to summon powerful spirits.  _Spirits like my sister,_ Nico thought. Looming in front of him were the Doors of Death. Dormant as the day Nico, and his friends closed them. The doors stretched up the huge expanse of the wall, but instead of their former open status, the doors were now bound with chains, and over a hundred padlocks locked them in place.

"A gift, ma'am. A gift for you." Achlys hissed in her demonic voice. Nico hauled himself off the stone floor and instantly wanted to lay back down. Melinoe stood in front of him in all her glory.

Melinoe was technically Nico's half sister. The daughter of Persephone, and Hades. She was split in appearance straight down the middle. Her hair was parted equally, half black like his own and half pure white. On her black side, she had hardened skin like a mummy, and two void like black eyes. It was said to symbolize Hades and her position as Goddess of Ghosts. Her white side had pale, colorless skin, and dainty features. This was said to symbolize Persephone's despair when she returned to the underworld for the winter.

"Why would I want one of my demigod siblings?" Melinoe snarled. Her face contracted in a snarl, and she turned her back away from Nico. Nico's hand rested on his blade, and he took a half step toward her.

"Melinoe." Nico said, his voice wavering. He hadn't faced Melinoe since he retrieved the sword of Hades with Percy, and Thalia. Melinoe had taken on the ghost of Nico's late mother, and Percy vanquished her while he stood paralyzed with fear. Not one of his proudest moments.

"I come in peace." Nico finished. He slowly brought out the tattered scroll out from his black cloth bag. Melinoe watched him with caution.

"I need your help. I need to know the whereabouts of this spirit." Nico finished, unrolling the scroll, and holding it in front of his face for Melinoe to look at. She was across the room, but in an instant she flitted toward him at light speed. Nico tried his hardest not to flinch as she leaned close to the scroll. Inspecting the photo with her void-like eyes.

"I know of her." Melinoe said, flitting across the room again and eyeing Nico with regard.

"Can you tell me where she is? Please, I come in peace." Nico repeated as he returned the scroll to his bag. Melinoe was a powerful goddess. She could control the dead, and take on the one thing that feared Nico most. His past. Nico had a lot of ghosts, and he didn't have indestructible Percy here to save him. He had to keep Melinoe calm, and carefree.

"Peace!" Melinoe said with a scuff. "Mother, and father wanted Peace.  _Don't haunt the living during the day. Don't upset the balance between living, and death. Don't do this, Don't do that."_ Melinoe said in a mocking voice, her hands waving around her head in wide, and wild gestures.

"They never did care for me." Melinoe said in a longing way, examining her fingernails on her pale, beautiful hand.

"I'm not here on behalf of our parents." Nico said. "This does not concern them." Melinoe walked the length of the room and eyed Nico. Nico felt himself shrink under her void-like gaze.

"I see you're ghosts, Nico Di Angelo. And I remember our previous encounter very well." She said. There was a threatening tone in her last sentence. Nico swallowed his fear down and held his ground against his older sister. Melinoe sighed.

"You wish for me to track this spirit?" Melinoe asked. Nico nodded. Not trusting his own voice.

"If I do such a senseless thing, what would I get in return?"

Nico knew that Melinoe was looking for something specific. Melinoe wasn't favored by Hades, and Persephone due to her obsession with the living. The night was not enough for her, and she wished to haunt mortals at every hour of the day. So Hades cursed her. The curse entitled that whenever Melinoe stepped into sunlight, she became invisible. Unable to cause true fear in the mortals. Nico reached into his black bag and pulled out a peach that was encrusted with light pink diamonds.

"This," Nico said holding up the jewel encrusted fruit."I can give you this." Melinoe flitted across the room at light speed, and Nico almost dropped the peach.

"What is it?" Melinoe hissed. A bit of her spit got on Nico's cheek and he gagged a bit. Her breath was a horrid, rank mixture of death, and rotten flesh.

"It's a Light Peach. I got it from...uh... my, uh lover's father." Nico lied. He was embarrassed that even when he allowed his mind to fabricate a story, it instantly wove Will into the tale.

"What will it do?" Melinoe asked in a softer voice, she examined the peach closer and reached her finger out to touch it. Nico pulled it away instantly. He couldn't risk his cover to be blown. Once Melinoe touched it, she would know exactly what it was.

"It will allow you to travel in sunlight. Visible." Nico could see the excitement flick across her eyes, but her faced remained calm. She cleared her throat and began walking circles around Nico once more.

"And you would willingly hand this over to me?" Melinoe asked. Nico nodded.

"I can travel freely in light." Nico said with an indifferent shrug. "It is useless to me." Nico held the jeweled peach over a water drain to his left.

"But if you aren't interested..."

"No!" Melinoe said, reaching her hand out for him to stop. "I'll do it. Information for the peach." Nico nodded, and held the peach close to his chest once more.

"Information first." Nico said. Melinoe scowled.

"Swear you will give me the peach." she said.

"I swear on the river styx." Nico said automatically. He had every intention to hand the peach over to his half sister.

"This spirit wanders the fields of Asphodel." Melinoe said. "She carries a godly relic, and she is injured. She is moving at a slow pace toward the edge of Elysium." Melinoe finished. "A simple shadow travel can catch her in minutes." Melinoe held out her hand for the peach.

"The peach has a catch." Nico said. Melinoe frowned, and advanced toward Nico who took a step backward.

"What kind of catch?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

"It has to be fed to you. By a mortal." Nico said. He willed his voice to be steady, and calm, but at the same time he gagged at the thought of feeding the peach to Melinoe.

"So be it." She said. Nico knew he couldn't let Melinoe lay a finger on the peach. She would know it's true origins at once. She leaned her ghoulish face toward him, and opened her mouth. Nico held his breath.

It was now or never.

He held the diamond encrusted peach up to her mouth. Her rank breath drifted across his nose, and Nico believed he was about to pass out. Finally, her teeth sank into the small fruit, and she swallowed it in one bite.

At once, her eyes shot open in recognition, and she pushed Nico away from her. Nico let out a strangled yell as he flew into the wall behind him.

"Fool!" She screeched. "A fruit from my mothers garden. That's tricky." Melinoe howled, and wagged a finger at Nico like she was scolding a child. Usually, children of the underworld could eat food of the underworld, but Melinoe had inherited her mothers curse, and couldn't touch a bite of food.

"You will pay." She warned, and began to stalk toward him. Nico drew his sword, and pointed it at her chest. She opened her mouth, and let out a loud howl that was filled with the wails of the dead. Nico shivered in fear, and pushed himself up against the wall behind him, bracing for impact.

However, before she could lay a finger on Nico, Melinoe exploded in a cloud of white, and black dust. Nico sighed in relief, and quickly picked himself up off the floor before turning on Achlys, and pointed his sword at her.

"Give me the cloak." Nico demanded, holding out his hand. Achlys stood flat against a rounded wall.

"It was a gift from my mother, Nyx." She mumbled, hesitant to give it up.

"Hand it over, Hag!" Nico yelled.

Achlys hurriedly ripped the black shawl from her shoulders, and thrust it into his hands. Nico avoided looking at her face, and threw the shawl around his shoulders. It was time to return to Will.

"Listen to me." Nico told her. "You're going to guard the Doors of Death, and not let anything through without my fathers permission. Or I swear on the river styx I'm going to lock you in a depression rehabilitation camp." Nico threatened her, and Achlys let out another high pitched wail.

Achlys agreed with a small nod, her wails continued to fill the air around them.

"Swear!" Nico yelled.

She cowered in her corner, and he almost felt a little bad for her.

"I swear I'll guard the doors. I swear on the River Styx!" She moaned.

Satisfied with his newly appointed guard, Nico put away his sword, and threw the shawl around his shoulders, and thought of home. He thought of Will.

The black fabric of Achlys's shawl wrapped around his body, and Nico felt myself move threw though the shadows of the world, connecting him from the House of Hades back to the bank of the river where Will was waiting. When his body finally stopped, he ripped the shawl off his body, and threw it on the ground. Nico gagged, and leaned over, dry heaving at the horrid stench of it.

Once he had recovered, Nico took in my surroundings. He wasn't at the bank of the River of Lamination. Instead, he was trapped in a small, dark jail cell. Nico let out a frustrated groan, and let his head fall against the steel bars.

"Veer a bit off course?" A voice asked from right behind me. Nico turned around, his hand drawing his sword instantly. Behind him, lounging on a slab of rock, sat Cupid.

"What are you doing here?" Nico spat toward him. He was stretched out like a cat against the back of the cell, and filing his nails like he was on a warm beach in California.

"Those are fighting words." Cupid pointed out not looking up from his nails. Nico scuffed.

"Where am I?" He asked.

Cupid shrugged.

"Some place in the Underworld I imagine. What I want to know is, how did you end up in a jail cell when you clearly were imagining that Will boy of yours. Could it be your feelings are still unresolved?" Cupid asked. Nico slumped against the cold bars, and brought his knees into his chest.

"You expect me to not be confused when you force a love potion onto me?" Cupid's file stopped it's back, and forth movement, and he glanced up at Nico. His curly black hair hung in his face a little.

"Love potion?" He asked. Nico reached for a chunk of rock by his feet, and hurled it in anger at the god. Which, in hindsight was probably a terrible idea, but it phased right through him, and he continued to stare at Nico as if nothing happened.

"Yes!" he yelled. "The potion you forced on me in Utah?" Cupid gave me a blank stare in return, and Nico wished he had another rock.

Suddenly, Cupid's eyes widened, and he started laughing. Nico scowled as he began laughing so hard that he had to set down his nail file.

"What is so funny?" Nico demanded to know. Cupid stood up, and brushed a crystal tear out of his bright blue eyes.

"That-ahahaha! That was-haha- That was just some left over 7 Up from my lunch that day!" Cupid managed to get the words out over his hysterical laughter. Nico's eyes widened, and he shot to his feet.

"Wait a minute-" Nico said.

"I just wanted to get you riled up a bit from our fiasco with the North wind." He said. His voice was breathless with giggles.

"Hold on-"

"I mean, i figured you would catch on once you tasted it. 7 Up has a very distinguished taste." He continued.

"Wait. You mean-"

"I can't believe the past two days you believed you were under the influence of a love potion!" He continued again. Nico was beginning to get mad. He grabbed his jacket, and shook him. Trying to get Cupid to pay attention to him, or at least look at him.

"Are you telling me that-"

"But, these sudden symptoms of love you describe. They must have been a subconscious reaction to believing that you imbibed a love potion." Cupid muttered, holding his index finger against his perfectly chiseled chin in thought.

"Shut up!" Nico yelled, and Cupid finally looked at him.

"Are you telling me that all this time I was never under the influence of a love potion?" Cupid began chuckling once more.

"Only the sweet, tangy influence of 7 Up. The amazing things mortals come up with, I mean they are remarkable." Cupid said.

Nico let him go, and ran his hands through his hair. A trait he was beginning to pick up from Will.

"I should probably kill you." Nico said in a matter-of-fact tone. Cupid brushed off invisible dirt where Nico had clutched his jacket.

"Well, maybe we can settle on breaking you out of here instead." Cupid said. He pulled his bow off of his shoulder, and drew back the string. A solid gold arrow materialized in the string, and he aimed is closely at the lock on my cell door. He released, and the lock exploded.

"Take that." Cupid said motioning to the shawl. "It will strengthen your shadow travel abilities." Nico nodded, and scooped up the fabric. The smell hit him like a wall, and he made a mental note to throw it in the washing machine when he got home.

"Good luck, Nico." Cupid said standing in the cell, one hand poised on his hip. Nico nodded, and wrapped the shawl around his shoulders.

_I'm on my way, Will._

**So here is my request. I want to work on a cover page for this story. If i have any artists reading this, and are interested in working on some coverart/fanart for this story please, please, please message me. You will be credited of course, and it can be a good chance to get your work out there. Go ahead and leave a review!**


	10. chapter 8

**Sorry for the late update. My girlfriend came back from her exchange trip so we were together all weekend. I also got a tattoo on my right forearm and the artist said not to let it rub against anything for at least three days. I.e, my laptop.**

I tried to stay calm, I really did. But the darkness of the underworld is not to be taken lightly, and without my guide I was completely lost. I wandered around the river bank calling out Nico's name in a last attempt of desperation. However, each place looked just like the last, and sound didn't carry well. So whenever I yelled it seemed to reverberate back into my own head.

"Will." I muttered to myself falling to the ground and digging through my backpack.

"You need to stay calm. We will get through this." I finally found what I was looking for and brought out a map of the Underworld that was constantly shifting and words appeared in random places for one second and disappeared the next. I tried to find the River of Lamentation but once I did manage to locate it, it would disappear from the map and reappear in a different place. I was beginning to get frustrated and I threw the map aside.

It was useless anyway.

I dug through my pack once more, hoping to find something else that could help me track Nico or at the least find the dagger so I could focus my energies on recovering him. In the midst of my digging a flash of silver caught my eye. My skull ring sat upon my middle index finger and it gleamed at me in the dark sunlight of the underworld.

"Thank the gods." I muttered. I pulled the ring off my finger and shifted it around my hands. Looking for something to activate it or make it function as the communication device it was meant to be.

I tried various code words and once even tried throwing it onto the ground, but nothing happened. I probably should have asked how it worked before Nico, and I went prancing out into the underworld. I thought of Nico and how desperate he had looked reaching for my hand. I was sure that I looked just as desperate if not more so. Now, without him, I would have to find a way to navigate the underworld and fight off a ghost to retrieve a dagger. On top of that, Nico had the thermos that it had to be kept it.

I was so lost in my misery that I didn't notice a soft buzzing sound coming from somewhere near me. I stood still for a moment trying to locate the noise and scurried to the place near the ground where I had discarded my ring. The ground was pitch black, and I had to feel around for a moment. Trying to locate it via sound, and hearing. Finally, my fingers enclosed around the cool metal of the ring. It vibrated in my hands softly.

Great, now that I had it I still didn't know how it worked. I ran my finger pad across its surface and shook it.

"Come on you stupid thing! Answer! Open! Work! Hello?" After I yelled hello at the poor offending ring, it released a small DING through the air and stopped vibrating. To my immediate relief, Nico's voice filled the air around me like it was possessing my surroundings.

"Will?" the ring, or Nico, asked. I leaned back with a huge smile on my face and chuckled in relief.

"Thank god. Nico. I was freaking out. Where are you?" I asked. I wasn't really sure where to direct my voice to, so I sat there and talked into the ring like that character from that Lord of the Rings movie.

"Will. I need you to do something." Nico's voice came through the ring.

"Anything. What do you need? Where are you? You need to get back here asap. The map keeps changing on me." I said.

"Yeah, I'm working on that. Just... put down anything you have in your hands, and hold out your arms." I paused. That wasn't really the request I was going for.

"Why?..." I asked.

"Just do it Will!" Nico snapped. Even though he wasn't here physically I was expecting a slap on the arm.

"Okay Okay. I'm doing it." I said holding my arms out half-heartedly.

"Great. See you in a second." Wait? What?

"Wai-" but the ring shut off with a small bloop, and I knew Nico had gone. I was left standing in the middle of the river bank with my arms held out like an idiot. Or at least I was before a large mass began to materialize in my arms and I was instantly weighted down. I began to teeter back into the river of Lamination, and in a final effort to not go through those memories again, I lurched myself forward, away from the bank and landed on my stomach.

"Ow! Dammit Will! You had one job!" Nico sounded from under me. I looked down and was met with the angry face of Nico Di Angelo. I smiled and pulled him into my chest.

"Don't ever leave like that again!" I said holding him at arms length once more. Nico rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Yeah yeah. Get up. I know where the dagger is!" Nico said pulling himself out of my arms almost reluctantly. I smiled but discarded it immediately. Remember Will, I told myself. Love potion.

Before I could ask Nico more about the dagger he dropped a disgusting smelling shawl over both of our shoulders. I gagged and tried to pull away, but Nico wrapped his arms around my shoulders and clung to me.

"Hold on tight. And hold your breath." Nico warned. I knew enough about Nico and his shadow travel abilities that especially when Nico warns to hold your breath you should for sure hold your breath.

I didn't have much time to react and all I knew was that the breath was immediately sucked from my lungs. For almost five seconds, I went through the agonizing torture of grasping for a breath where there was none. And as soon as it happened, the swirling black mass that surrounded Nico and I dissipated, and I was thrown to the ground gasping in air as fast as it would come. Nico was on his hands and knees beside me coughing. He was clearly not anymore used to the black suction void than I was.

"Stay alert." Nico coughed out. "She is around her somewhere." Nico hauled himself to his feet and reached his hand out to me which I gladly took.

"I don't see anybody." I commented. Nico shook his head.

"No. I can feel her. I command you to show yourself!" Many times I have seen Nico extend his senses into the underworld to summon a presence but I had never seen it up close. I had never seen the reaction of a spirit when Nico demanded they show themselves. It's different when you are the one feeling the presence being summoned. I felt his authority in the air and when it wasn't you that he was summoning it made you want to hide. I could only imagine how the dead felt.

Suddenly we heard a strangled cry and a girl fell out from behind a large boulder about a hundred feet from us. Nico broke out into a dead spring and I tried my best to keep up with him.

"Stay on your guard." Nico yelled over his shoulder toward me. "She's dangerous." I could tell from here that she was injured. However, I couldn't conceive what could injure a ghost. Whatever it was, it slowed her down and Nico gained ground on her instantly.

It all happened faster than you could imagine. Nico got so close to her that he reached out one pale hand and grasped her by her leather collar strap, and they both went tumbling to the ground. My lungs began to hurt but i powered through it. I watched Nico and the spirit girl tumble together on the cold underworld ground.

Nico had her pinned.

Than the other way around.

Nico threw her off.

The girl kicked him in the ribs.

Nico reached for his sword.

She drew the dagger.

"Will!" Nico shouted at me as I neared them. "Remember the plan." I did remember the plan very well. We had talked about it while leaving Hades palace. It was our last resort plan. Something we hoped to never come to. Reasoning had ben our first option. Than Nico would threaten her. If worst came to worst than we would fight her. Of course, Hades had said she was injured. It shouldn't had been more than a quick grapple and Nico would have the dagger.

But this was different. This girl was experienced. She knew what she was doing, and she knew how to hold a knife. Her skills seemed unrivaled, and for a moment I was worried about Nico. But now I remember the plan. Plan 'Water Hydra' Nico had called it. He will distract her while I find a way to retrieve the dagger.

I swallowed my nervous feelings and made my way toward the back of the fight. I watched as Nico made incredibly close calls with the sun dagger. I didn't know what would happen if he got stabbed with it, but I did't want to find out.

Once I had finally gotten in her blind spot I moved in, quick as I could. I thought i had it. i really did. But in the last minute the girl's elbow came up, and stopped me in my tracks. Her leg came around, and kneed me in the stomach, and her left elbow went right into Nico's face. I staggered backward and retreated a safe distance from the fight as Nico began to engage her again

"Will." Nico said, blocking her fist, and hitting her with the blunt of his sword.

"The cloak. Use the cloak." I looked around, and say the discarded cloak laying on the ground. I slid toward it, and threw it around my shoulders. Immediately I felt the darkness of the cloak invade my mind. I kept my objective clear. Get to the dagger. And the darkness spun around me, and my breath left my body.

Like the time before it was over as soon as it began. But now instead of away from the fight I was directly in front of her. The spirit girl's eyes widened in shock, and she stumbled backward. I reached out, and grabbed the dagger from her hands. I thought she was done. I thought she had gone down.

Suddenly, mid fall, she reached into a holster behind her back, and pulled a small wrist dagger out.

"No!" I heard somebody yell behind me, and I was suddenly flung from the scene. A large hand made of darkness shot out of the ground, and tossed me a good three hundred feet. I fell to the hard ground, and the dagger tumbled out of my grasp.

I picked my head up, trying to sort the newly disoriented thoughts. But one thing was clear.

Nico stood in my place, one hand shot straight up into the air, and a huge black mass of a hand erupted from the ground in front of him in the same position. The spirit girl crouched in a low position, angling a small dagger up into his ribs. I saw Nico cough, and drop his hand. The large dark hand that was previously under his control sunk back into the earth.

"Nico!" I yelled trying to pick myself up. Pain shot through my spine, and I found myself only able to reach for him. My legs were numb. I couldn't feel a thing. I could hardly breath. Nico laid collapsed on the floor of the underworld, blood pooling around him.

"Please." I sobbed. The girl stood up, and left the knife in Nico's stomach, and began walking toward me. "Help him." I sobbed.

"Please somebody help him." my vision was going dark, and I could only concentrate on Nico, who's eyes were fading by the minute.

"I got you kiddo." A voice said. I gave one last effort to open my eyes.

My father stood above me.

**Sorry for the short update. Also, stop complaining about my authors notes or the last two chapters are going to be NOTHING but authors notes. There. Suck it.**


	11. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the late update. You know. Finals and what not. Enjoy.**

Nico withered in my arms but was otherwise unmoving. My father had picked me up and laid Nico and I in the back seat. My concerns were all over the place. Nico's life was fading from his eyes. I couldn't feel my legs. And, what is more, was the female spirit's body writhed on the ground behind Apollo's sun chariot. Light pouring out of her wound from the sun dagger. Light weaved its way through her veins and it looked like bright, golden vines had weaved their way through her body. Apollo took his place in the front of his chariot. 

"This is bad. This is bad." he kept muttering to himself. I would have whole-heartedly agreed with him if I wasn't too preoccupied with Nico.

I gently kept slapping his cheek asking him to stay with me, stay with me, stay with me babe. Please don't leave. Keep your eyes open. Despite my encouraging words, Nico's eyes dropped by the second. 

"Let's go!" I shouted at Apollo. I was becoming increasingly concerned with the spirit who's body had begun morphing into a dark monster, five times her original size. Apollo glanced at me in his rearview mirror and shot his hand back toward me. 

"The dagger." He said.

I fiddled with the thermos I had stored it in and had to point it away from me and turn away from it as I opened the container. Golden bright light poured from the thermos revealing its contents. As a child of Apollo I figured it was safe for me to pick up. I handed the dagger to my father.

Upon contact, the dagger morphed into a small key but retained it's golden metal and jeweled handle. A small key chain hung from it. It was a sold gold sun. I didn't have much time to marvel at it as Apollo shoved it into the ignition and the chariot roared to life. 

As the car took off at an impossible speed I shouted to my father, "How did you get this down here?"  

"Hades!" He yelled back. "How's your boyfriend doing?" I glanced down at Nico. He had become pale and his breathing had become shallow and fast passed. Tears swelled in my eyes and I shook my head at my father. He gave me a comforting smile in the rear view mirror.  

"What about you?" He asked me, his eyes flicking down to my legs. I opened my mouth to answer, but movement out of the corner of my eye stopped me. My eyes widened in shock.

My eyes widened in shock. The previous spirit girl **(a/n Who's name is still unknown  I'M JUST TO LAZY TO MAKE ONE UP OKAY?)**  was no more. Instead, a huge, black, gorilla-like monster ran behind the chariot in hot pursuit. It had no fur, only taunt charcoal black leathery skin with what looked like ruins etched into the side. Bright yellow veins could be seen through the skin and stretched about the spirits body like cracked glass. The eyes were rage intent, and murderous. The chariot was going roughly eight hundred miles along the underworld floor, but the monster was slowly gaining. Throwing everything from fellow spirits to and rocks out of its path. 

"What is that?!" I exclaimed. 

"That's what happens when you strike a creature of the underworld with the sun dagger. They go mad." I clutched Nico close to my chest. He had begun sweating and panting heavily. 

"Can we outrun it?" I asked. Apollo shook his head. 

"Not here." Apollo reached over and popped open his glove compartment. He reached inside, which was like vast, infinite space, and pulled out a huge solid gold long bow. If we ever got out of this, I would have to talk to my father about owning everything in solid gold. At first, I wondered how my father was going to shoot the monster and steer us out of the Underworld at the same time but he handed the bow back to me. 

"You're going to have to shoot it. If I fire one of my weapons in the underworld I would be breaking the ancient laws." I took the bow gingerly in my hands. 

"I can't." I sobbed. "I can't feel my legs. I can't move" I clutched the bow and held it to my face while I cried. Apollo turned around and placed a hand on my leg. 

"Son." He said. I felt warmth spread through my legs. Like the monster, gold crept through my veins and up my legs but it felt pleasant and warm. "I love you," he said "and one of these days I'll tell you about your mother. And your childhood, and whatever else you want to know. But right now. You need to save him.".

I kept eye contact with my father and he drew his arm back. My legs felt strong and sturdy and I wiggled my toes. Testing my dexterity. 

"You fixed them?" I asked. Apollo nodded but gestured to my ankle. I followed his gaze and around the small of my ankle was a solid gold band that fit snug, but not uncomfortable, against my skin. I gave my father a questioning glance. 

"You are paralyzed." Apollo admitted. "But that will supply your legs with a direct link to my power. So long as I am standing, so shall you." He said. "It is only a small fraction of what you deserve." I couldn't speak.

 

Technically, I was paralyzed. If this band was to ever get lost or stolen or Apollo were to fall for some inconceivable reason, I would be paralyzed once more.

"You need to stand strong." Apollo mustered. "For him. You need to stand strong. For him." I looked down at Nico. I continue to think that there was to

I looked down at Nico. I continue to think that there was to way he could get worse, but he looked pale as death and was sweating profusely. His body was hot in my arms and I could feel the fever radiating off of him through his clothes. I nodded and gently scooted his head into the leather seat beside me and I grabbed a firm hold on the bow. 

I glanced once more at my father. He gave me an encouraging nod and I rolled down the window.

The monster was still relentless. Only a mere one hundred feet from the chariot. I took a deep breath. 

_Nico. Think of Nico._

I leaned half my body out the window. I drew the band back toward the soft flesh of my cheek. As the bow was drawn, a golden arrow materialized in the nook. It was so large it was probably three-fourths my height. But the entire bow itself was incredibly light. 

I aimed carefully. Right in the heart. 

_Nico_

I took a deep breath, steadying my hand. 

_Think of Nico._

My thumb grazed my cheek. For aim, and reassurance. 

_Save him._

I released my grip on the arrow and it was gone in an instant. Only a streak of golden light as it sailed across the dark domain of Hades. Right into the heart of the thieving spirit. The monster fell. Mostly out of shock and it's legs gave out from under it.

The chariot was going so fast that as soon as the monster fell we were so far away that I could no longer see it beside a plummet of golden dust. 

I sighed a sigh of relief and became instantly drowsy. Using god weapons takes a lot out of demigods.

I moved so that I could take Nico's head in my lap once more. I briefly registered my father telling me to sleep as I let my head hit the window behind me. 

 

_"This is nice." dream Nico said beside me. He was lying, stretched out on a blanket with his head in my lap and his hand threaded through mine. I smiled down at him and allowed my thumb to brush over his reassuringly. We laid before the sunset at the edge of the lake. The cabins, camp, and training grounds far behind us. It was only us out here._

_"I'm glad I could make the son of Hades smile." I said in a teasing manner. Nico scowled and swatted at me with his free hand. Nico looked out at the sunset._

_"Do you think we can stay up all night like we promised?" Nico asked fiddling with my golden anklet._

_"We'll be lucky if we ever see the sun." Nico smirked up at me when I recited his favorite song._

_"Got nowhere to go. We could be here for a while." He sang softly._

_"We try so hard to get it right. But only feel lonely at the end of the night." Nico picked himself up and sat in my lap. Hugging me gently._

_"I wanna be somewhere away from this place. Smile. The worst is yet to come."_

_"We'll be lucky if we ever see the sun." I finished for him. He continued to hum the melody of the song as I wrapped my hands around him and rubbed aimless shapes._

_"I love you." Nico said. I pulled back and glanced into his eyes. They were genuine and held emotion. I almost laughed at all we had been through. But instead I lifted my hands up and grasped his face._

_"I love you more." I whispered and brought his lips to mine. Capturing them in an easy motion. Nico's hands came up he laid them on top of mine. He smirked against my lips._

_"Doubt it."_

 

This is the infirmary. I had never woken up in the infirmary myself before. Usually, it was me who was on the opposite end. Waiting for the patients to wake up. I shot straight up out of bed. The white blankets feel off of my body and I looked around. Where was Nico? All the beds beside me were empty. Where was he? He should be here. Recovering. 

"Nico?!" I yelled into the empty infirmary. I tried to haul myself off the bed. I placed my feet on the floor and I immediately fell over. I picked myself into a sitting position.

My ankle bracelet was gone. I began hyperventilating. I looked around and was relieved to see that my golden gift of walking was perched on the stand right by my bed. I pulled myself across the floor with only Nico in mind. I reached for my ankle bracelet, but it was out of my reach. Too high up for my to grab. I shoved my shoulder against the night stand. The bracelet shook from the impact. A few more hits and the ankle bracelet fell into my lap with a thud. 

I grasped the gold metal and clipped it around my leg. The seam where the ankle bracelet snapped together disappeared when it was placed on my leg. Preventing it from falling off by accident. 

I felt the warmth spread through my legs and the familiar light travel through my veins. I hauled myself to my feet and noticed that I was still attached to an IV in my arm. I scowled and ripped it out. Flinching at the pain. Blood began pouring from the vein in my arm but I ignored it and hobbled toward the door. 

"Will?!" Kayla stood in the door of the infirmary with a stack of papers and a cup of coffee in her hands. 

"Where is Nico?" I asked a bit to harshly. A flash of hurt spread across my sister's face. 

"Will, you need to sit down." Kayla said. I shook my head. 

"Where is he? Where is Nico? He should be in here resting. He got stabbed.  _He got fucking stabbed. Where is he_?" I yelled. Kayla came up to me and wrapped her arms around my torso. 

"Will please." She muttered. "Please lay down." She cried. 

"Is he dead?" I sobbed into her shoulder. "Is he gone?" 

"Will!" I looked up from my sister. Nico stood in the doorway holding a sandwich and a bottle of water. I felt relief flood through me and I let go of my sister and stalked toward Nico. I grasped him into a hug so hard that he dropped his sandwich and the water bottle went rolling across the floor. Nico hugged me back and I felt him cry into my chest. 

"You're walking! How are you walking? Kayla said your spine was so damaged that you would never walk again." I smiled through my tears and smoothed down Nico's unruly hair. 

"Apollo's ankle bracelet restores my ability to walk. So don't let the infirmary doctors take it off again." I said with humor. Nico pulled away and placed his hand on my cheek. The same way I had done for him in my dream. 

"Why aren't you resting Nico?" I asked him. Nico looked confused for a moment before laughing. 

"Will, you've been asleep for almost a month now. I'm almost completely healed." as if to prove his point, Nico lifted up his shirt and revealed a raw pink scar across his rip's under cage. I let my index finger trace the scare slowly and I looked down at him. 

"Is now a good time to revisit your feelings?" Nico looked confused as to what I am referring to but quickly laughed. 

"I've got a story to tell you." He admitted with a soft chuckle. "Let's save it for another time." I opened my mouth to protest but Nico held his hands to my lips. 

"Let's just say, I hate 7 UP." Nico said with a shudder.  

"Does this mean you like me for real?" I asked.  

"No." Nico said and I let my face fall. I wanted to pull away and go hide under a rock somewhere.  

"It means I love you." Nico said. A smile lit up my face and before I could think it through I pulled Nico up toward my lips. He was so short, I practically lifted him entirely up off the ground. Nico and I could hardly kiss through both of our smiles. It turned out to be an awkward concept of smiling against each others mouth. But it was perfect none the less. 

"What do we have here?" A voice sounded behind us.

Standing in the door of the infirmary were Percy and Annabeth, who were graduating from college by now, Leo, Colypto, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Couch Hedge, his family, Grover, Lou ann, Cecil, my entire cabin, and just about all of camp. Each one wearing a knowing smirk on their faces. 

"We are glad you are okay Will. We were all worried." Percy said stepping forward with his arms wide. "But that doesn't excuse you from tradition."

Kayla, who had been watching silently the entire time, stepped foreword. 

"Oh no. Not my patient. He just woke up." She said with a stern voice. It reminded me of when I hounded Nico about his shadow traveling all those years ago.

The Stoll brothers stepped forward and each grabbed one of Kayla's arms and picked her up with ease. 

"Sorry Kayla." One said. 

"But you know the rules." Finished the other. 

Kayla kicked a bit, grumbled some more, but submitted with a 'Fine. Just get it over with'. 

"Tradition?" Nico asked. "What tradition?" Before I could answer the entire camp flooded the infirmary. Hands grabbed me, and hands grabbed Nico. Both lifting us up into the air. 

"Hey!" Nico exclaimed. "What are you doing? Put us down!" a few laughs echoed through the crowd and I saw Percy give Jason a high five from where they were overseeing the abduction.  

I didn't protest. I knew it was useless. But that didn't stop Nico from withering and contorting his body and complaining the entire time on our trip to the lake.

For the most point I enjoyed the ride and watched Nico with a smirk on my face. 

As we approached the lake, it suddenly dawned on Nico what was about to happen. 

"Wait! No please! I hate water!" I heard Percy scuff under his breath. "Will please! Don't let them do this!" I laughed happily. 

"See you on the other side, sweetie!" I yelled just before loving arms of the entire camp, our entire family, tossed us both into the lake. 

Water closed over my head and I watched as Nico was thrown into the lake a second later. In the seconds that we were both submerged I watched him. His face annoyed, but I have never seen him more happy. 

I broke through the surface of the lake, and Nico came up a second later gasping for air. I pulled him toward me in the water and his arms locked around my neck more for support than out of romantic intentions. 

"That was terrible!" Nico exclaimed, shivering from the cold water. 

"Yeah." I muttered half-heartedly, glancing at his lips and back up to him. One hand stayed on his hip as another came up and threaded itself through his wet hair. 

"Are you seriously planning on kissing me in front of the entire camp?" Nico asked in a very unamused voice raising his eyebrows. 

"Yeah." I muttered again. I leaned forward and captured his lips once more. He tasted like lake water and pomegranates. I heard whoops from the shore of the lake and it only encouraged me to pull Nico closer and angle my face to kiss him deeper. 

Nico didn't put up much of a fight.

**So that was the last 'official' chapter!**

**I'll release an epilogue chapter. Idk when it will be out. Probably sometime next week.**

**I'll also continue to write one-shots that are based in this verse! So send me ideas of what kind of one-shots you would like to see!**

 

**The song that I used for Will's dream is called 'Smile by Mikkey Ekko' I love it. You should totally go listen to it right now. I almost died when they used it as the trailer song for Paper Towns.**

**Review what you would like to see explored in the Epilogue chapter.**

**~Miyo**


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that extra chapter I promised in May? Well here it is. I never forgot about you guys.... half a year later.... I am sheer trash.... leave a review in the trash for the trash.

haha

Hahaha

HaHaHaHa

HAHAHAHAHA

**MUWAHAHAHAHA**

**Here we are guys. Half a year later. I have no excuse, I am just a generally shitty person... enjoy.**

* * *

 

** Will's POV **

Color drained from my face as I was handed yet another chart by my assistant and younger sister, Kayla. Kayla eyed my expression sympathetically.

"Sorry Will. I know we are swamped. Yesterday's capture the flag with the Romans was brutal. Stick it out will ya?" Kayla said giving me a quick pat on the shoulder. I sighed and nodded, seeing my sister off as she crossed the infirmary to check on a young member from the Ares cabin who shouted that he didn't need assistance from a cowardly daughter of Apollo. I could tell from the blush on his face that he had a bit of a crush on Kayla and just didn't want her to notice.

I looked at my watch.

It was nearly one o clock and I had missed lunch. Before I could start my rounds again one of my siblings helped a daughter of Hecate limp into the infirmary. I groaned, and fought down my aggravation. My sibling motioned for my to attend the girl as he rushed back out of the infirmary to probably help more kids. It had been a brutal game.

The infirmary was full. I was tired. I was hungry. And my anklet was acting up, leaving my legs feeling heavy and numb. I wanted to scream and lock myself in an empty room. No eighteen year old boy should have to endure this.

"Will, can you fill this out?" Kayla asked. I glared at her and snatched the clipboard out of her hands. Her brow furrowed as I angrily scribbled information on the chart. Before I was done, my younger sibling came back into the infirmary with a young man leaning on his shoulder.  _Colin from Ares_ , my mind registered.

"Will? Give me a hand?" He asked. My mind screamed. I was about to open my mouth to announce that I was clearly busy when a monitor began beeping on the other side of the infirmary. Signaling a need for a new IV. I grumbled and stomped over, leaving my siblings in confusion. I angrily ripped off the Iv bag, and fumbled around in the cabinet for a new one. My hand enclosed around a squishy bag of ionized water only for it to slip off of it's small hook and onto the ground. Exploding everywhere on the floor and splashing on my anklet, causing it to short circuit a bit and my right leg to quickly give out. It wasn't long before the temporary weakness in my leg mixed dangerously with the water on the floor and i was left sprawled on the tile floor of my own infirmary. The heat from my anger could have probably dried up the water in seconds.

"Will!" Kayla shouted running across the infirmary and picking my up by my arm and hauling me to a chair. "Are you alright? Do we need Chiron?" She asked.

"No." I snapped. "Just let me rest for a second." Kayla nodded and went to turn around before one of the assistant kids, a thirteen year old daughter of Aphrodite walked up.

"Will?" She asked in a small voice. "Where do we keep the extra ambrosia?" I sent a sharp glare her way and Kayla quickly steered her away from me before I could go off.

Finally. I was left alone, if only for a second. I heard the hustle and bustle of the infirmary around me but took comfort in knowing non of it would interfere with my however brief moment of rest. I let my eyes drift close only to have them snap open at a small knock on my office door.

"What now?" I ask wheeling around toward the door, face to face with my boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. His hand halted mid knock and his eye brows risen at my tone. Usually, I would smile apologetically and tell him to come on in but today has been busy and terrible so far. Nico's snarky attitude will only make it worse. I was anxious for him to leave. I''d make it up to him later.

"Um. Sorry." Nico said, but it sounded sarcastic. "We had plans? For lunch? You kinda left me waiting in the strawberry field for about an hour." I sighed and ran my hands through my hair.

"di Angelo do you even  _know_ how busy the infirmary has been today? Couldn't you just use your eyes and know that I wouldn't be able to make it?" Nico looked taken back by my words but quickly recoiled.

"Couldn't you use your head and know that you had prior commitments? Does the infirmary really mean more to you than our relationship?" I scuffed and stood up, my leg mostly recovered.

"Don't be so vain. The well being of the campers is more important than some lunch date you arranged. Nico looked torn. Angry, and sad. Tears welling in his eyes but tears of anger or tears of sadness, I wasn't sure. Nico's powers and his emotions were linked directly. I felt the temperature in the room drop bellow freezing and the tile beneath him his feet crack lightly. Than he did something I've never seen Nico do. His lips quivered and he looked defeated. However, still incredibly angry as he reached into his pocked and pulled out a long, thin, golden envelope. He looked me in the eyes and ripped it right in half. He let the two halves of the envelope fall to the ground before he stepped into the nearest shadow and disappeared.

* * *

 

**Earlier that morning. Nico's POV**

"Everything ready? Hazel asked. I nodded. I felt a smile stretch across my face. Hazel brightened at my uplifted mood and fixed my bowtie. I coughed awkwardly.

"Is the bowtie to much? Do you think it's odd to dress up like this on a picnic?" I asked. Jason came up behind her and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Bowties are cool man. Haven't you ever seen Doctor Who?" Jason asked. I rolled my eyes at his pop culture reference that I once again didn't understand and looked at myself in the mirror. I had on tan chinos with a dark grey button up shirt and a dark purple blazer. Finished off with a black bowtie. I was ready to go. Justin was finishing putting together Will and I's lunch for the evening. He told me he had all the basics. A light lunch, with a chocolate dessert and a nice bottle of champagne to drink when we celebrate my big surprise.

I mean, it was our anniversary after all.

"Don't forget this." Annabeth said, handing me the golden envelope that contained the new paperwork for a small, one bedroom flat in New Rome. I thanked her, and tucked it into my back pocket.

"Where are you guys meeting again?" Hazel asked.

"The strawberry field at noon." I said, brushing some invisible dirt from my blazer.

"It's so romantic." Hazel gushed, fanning herself with her hand. "Asking him to move in with you on your anniversary." I smiled.

Sometimes I forget how much time has passed since Will and I had officially become a couple. I remember the quest, the dagger, Will's legs, and my instant distaste for 7-UP.

"You better get going." Jason said handing me the basket of food. "Need a ride?" I checked the watch Will had gotten me for my eighteenth birthday whenever I complained that I could never tell the time via sun like he could. It was small and golden with black gems throughout it. It reminded me of us whenever I looked at it.

"I got time to walk." I said with a wave of my hand. "See you guys later." I departed with a chorus of goodbyes and good lucks. I smiled to myself as I turned away. How can today go wrong when you have them watching your back?

I stood over a small stretch of grass that laid before the vast strawberry field. There was no breeze, it wasn't to hot, and it wasn't to cold. It was perfect. Today was going to be perfect.

I took my time laying the basket down gently and glanced at my watch. Eleven forty. I had twenty minutes to get lunch set up and try and calm my nerves before my wonderful boyfriend showed up. I could imagine it now. Him climbing the hill, complaining that I picked a stop so far away. He would look at how beautifully I had set everything up, and I blushed imagining his eyes moving toward my and over my new outfit. I let my mind wander a little further before my face felt so hot I had to calm down.

I pulled out a large blanket and laid it out on the grass. Taking my time to smooth out wrinkles. I opened the basket. On top of plates and containers of food I found a note.

_Good luck man. You guys deserve all the happiness you can get. We are rooting for you._

_Love, your friends,_

_Annabeth, Jason, Hazel, Frank, Percy, and Reyna._

I smiled and folded the paper gently before putting it in my pocket. I would be keeping that. I laid out the dishes and put the light salad that Jason had prepared on each plate and set the icebox containing the dessert off to the side, and set the champagne and the flute glasses off to the side as well.

Once it looked perfect I glanced at my watch. Twelve o five. Will was a bit late... Perhaps he got help up by a camper. I shrugged off my jacket and waited for Will. Watching the clouds go by above me.

**After the fight, Nico's pov (again)**

I knocked on Jason's cabin door with as much energy as I could muster. I felt sobs rack through me. The kind that constrict your throat make it hard to breath. I heard some clattering as Jason opened the door finally. He seemed shocked the sight of me standing on his porch crying so much I couldn't talk. I became aware of Jason's stare and quickly hid my pathetic crying face in my hands and turned him his site.

"Nico come inside." Jason demanded in a soft voice. But I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but stand there and cry. I heard Hazel's voice from across the field and knew she had taken in the site and was quickly making her way over to us. I felt Jason's arm around my shoulder as he gently led me into the cabin. He waited for Hazel at the door and quickly whispered something into her ear. She glanced up at him and nodded. Hazel made her way over to me before Jason vanished out his front door.

"What happened Nico?" She asked, taking my hands from my face. I felt ugly crying in front of her.

"I knew that it was to good to last..." I whispered. Hazel's face fell and she hugged me gently.

"Did you break up?" Hazel asked. In truth, I didn't even know if we broke up or not.

"He called me vain and said that being at the infirmary was more important than being with me." I sobbed. Hazel didn't say anything but I knew that look on her face. Cold. Calculating. I cried harder.

* * *

 

**Wills' POV**

Collapsed by the strawberry field, I took in the sight. A beautiful patch work quilt was laid out on the green grass, and daisy pedals spelled out Happy anniversary in the grass. Two plates of my favorite salad sat abandon on the quilt. Nico hates salad. I felt the tears fall down my face as I clutched two pieces of paper, holding them together to make one. A confirmation of a move in date. Too a small flat in New Rome. Right by the medical university. I had been so stupid. So rude to the man I loved. I kept seeing his face as he watched me yell. Putting all the pieces together.

"Will." A hard voice sounded behind me. I stood and turned. The blonde superman of Camp Half-Blood and Nico's best friend stood behind me. His hands balled into fists. I opened my mouth to answer but was immediately tackled like the small kid on the football team. I didn't fight back. Jason crouched above me, my shirt balled up in his fists and his face close to me.

"Please hit me." I whispered. Jason's face softened.

"At least to regret it." He spat. I felt tears come to my eyes knowing that getting beat up by Nico's best friend was the least I deserved.

"I'm not going to hit you!" Jason yelled. "I just want to know why. We all put so much work into it. The clothes, the food. Do you know how many odd jobs Nico had to take to afford a down payment on an apartment in New Rome?" Jason said.

Jason got off of me, but staying sitting in the grass in defeat. I didn't say anything. What could I say? What sort of justification could i come up with? None. That was the answer.

"Nico's been through a lot Will. You need to be by his side. Not against him." I nodded and lowered my face into my hands.

"I know." I said angrily, tears spilling from my eyes.

"If you know," Jason said coldly. "go to my cabin and talk to him." I looked at him. Here was Jason, knowing I broke Nico's heart, giving me a second chance on a silver platter.

I nodded and took off down the hill.

* * *

 

**Nico's pov**

The door flung open so fast I jumped. Hazel had stepped out to speak to Frank, and I was currently curled up on Jason's spare bunk. Will stood in the doorway panting hard, his hair disheveled and his eyes searching frantically.

"Nico." he whispered walking toward me.

I love Will. I love him so much, that even when it hurts my heart to be around him my body reaches for him always. Will attacked me in a bear hug and my arms instinctively recuperated. I tucked my face into his neck and his strong arms wrapped around me, clutched my hair and rubbing my back soothingly.

"How could you?" I cried into his shirt. I felt Will's breath hitch.

"I'm so sorry Nico. I had a bad day and I took it out on you. You don't deserve that. I don't deserve you. Please, please forgive me." Will muttered. I smiled even throughout my tears. Will had never denied me. He had never looked at me offer to move into together and pushed me away out of disgust. He had a bad day and was moody. And that was the extent of it.

"I love you." I said, kissing him softly. Will's eyes shut and his hands cupped my face gently. I felt his lips move slowly against mind as our tears mixed in. The salty, warm taste made the moment surreal.

"Move in with me." Will breathed, his forehead resting against mine. I laughed lightly.

"That's my line." I muttered. Will smiled back and pushed me down on the bed, his mouth reattached to mine.

**Jason's pov**

I shuddered from my place outside the window with Hazel. I'm _burning that bed._

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**AN**

**Rate and Review guys! It's common courtesy!**

**SO! Six or so months later. What did you think of my extra chapter? Leave a review! Haha I am trash. Pure trash. Throw me away. Follow me on Tumblr Miyo-Nani . tumblr . com You can send me one shot requests there! Submission box is open and I want to write me some SOLANGELO Woo hoo!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rate and review?? tumblr is Miyo-Nani . tumblr . com


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